


Vindicated

by Noctivaga



Category: Terminator (Movies)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Ending, Continuation of where the movie left off, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen, Movie: Terminator Salvation, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2009-06-17
Updated: 2010-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:33:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 47,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24889183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noctivaga/pseuds/Noctivaga
Summary: An alternate ending and continuation of Terminator Salvation.The CA Resistance makes their next move after Skynet HQ is destroyed. Amongst all the chaos will Blair and Marcus find new beginnings and happy endings in one another?
Relationships: Blair Williams/Marcus Wright





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was imported from my Xeerie account on Fanfiction.net.
> 
> Also, for anyone that reads this on here, please keep in mind I wrote this when I was 17 years old. So this is not written very well.

Defeat felt inevitable. What would the resistance do without John Connor: the alleged messiah, the man that was supposed to be humanity's salvation?

It could have been some sick joke; Connor on his deathbed just after rescuing Kyle Reese and the other hundreds – maybe thousands – of people from the Skynet headquarters. This day should have been marked with celebration, emotions of joy and glee. Not remorse or despair that dulled the eyes of those standing just off to the side of John Connor's makeshift bed in a medical tent. What a cruel joke indeed.

Marcus looked on, his expressionless face revealing nothing to his peers around him. On the inside he was wrestling with an idea that held the potential to save the resistance leader's life: giving up his own beating heart to the other man in hopes that he would live on and salvage what was left of the human race. It would be his personal redemption and purpose, justifying why he lived.

Part of the hybrid wanted to cling to the hope that there was another way. His life was not completely worthless. There was the forming friendship with Kyle Reese and his partner, Star. Even more so, there was his relationship and growing affections towards one of the resistance fighters, Blair Williams.

Were they worth giving up?

There was also the flip-side to this dilemma. If he sacrificed his own life, and Connor lived to save them all, there was the slight possibility that the three – Blair, Kyle, and Star – would live on long after he did. Surely that was worth something, securing his friends' safety?

 _There isn't another way_.

He tried thinking of at least one different alternative, but nothing came to mind.

Time was running out as they stood there. It had only been moments ago when Kate announced the ill news. Somehow to him it felt like hours ago. The rapid process at which his brain was filtering through his thoughts was to blame for the false sense of time.

Stepping forward, he addressed the doctor. "Kate—" He glanced down, looking at his chest once he gathered her attention. "—take mine."

"Marcus?" The questioning tone came from behind him.

Turning, he came face to face with Blair, who was sporting a less-than-enthusiastic expression. Her brow was furrowed, lips tugged down in a disproving frown.

"Everyone deserves a second chance" he explained, looking into her eyes in hopes of finding some sort of understanding. "This is mine."

* * *

She felt a sinking sensation in her chest. No – a mangling disintegration of her heart. Agony ripped through her like one of the many knifes and daggers she carried on her body. She could feel a lump growing in her throat and a bitter taste poisoning her mouth.

Blair comprehended Marcus' reasoning, but wished this wasn't the only solution. He had not explained much about himself to her on a personal level; she had managed to gather enough to know he presumably did something he was now regretting. Something he was seeking salvation for.

Events moved in a methodically rapid, mechanical way after that. Before she knew it her full lips were being plastered against his hard, unyielding ones. The bittersweet moment was much too short for her liking.

He pulled away and was then promptly laid on a bed beside John's were they were both then hooked up to IV's. The anesthesia was starting to cause both Marcus' and Connor's eyes to become heavy, drooping before completely lulling shut.

* * *

The first senses that came back to him were hearing and the ability to feel the temperature. Anesthetics that flowed through his body kept his eyes closed and a thick wave of drowsiness washed over him.

Hushed voices spun around his head, none of the words making sense. The only thing he knew for sure was that wherever he was, the climate was satisfactory. It wasn't until much later that he gained back the  
strength to open his eyes.

Where was he? Was he not supposed to be dead? These questions began to plague his buzzing mind.

Lazily taking in the surroundings, Marcus came to realize that he was still in the medical tent. Shifting his neck to look to his left, he spotted John Connor lying next to him, just like when he was put under.

Perhaps the drugs were clouding his mind and better judgment. Even so, the man was confident that waking up alive was not part of the plan. He had every intention on finding his peace by willingly giving his life for the doomed resistance leader.

 _What the hell?_  
  
Struggling to sit up, Marcus propped himself up on his elbows, glancing around once more with a bewildered face. Confusion and anxiety kicked in, causing him to slump back down slightly in a stupor.

John's body was still there, and if his eyes were not playing tricks on him, the other man's chest was steadily rising and falling with breath.

_Alive._

Well, at least for the time being.

"Welcome back."

Kate was standing on the other side of his bed, a gentle smile gracing her once troubled face. Instead of a weary expression, the doctor's features were relaxed; tranquil he would even venture.

"We ended up not needing your heart," she explained before Marcus managed to open his now-dry mouth.

"What?" Were his ears playing tricks on him? Or did the woman before him just say her husband didn't require a heart donor?

Licking his lips, attempting to gain back a more steady voice then the squeak that just came out a moment ago, Marcus tried desperately to focus, the drowsiness still clinging to him at the corners of his mind, making it difficult to concentrate.

"Why? What happened?"

Kate looked over to her husband. She seemed lost in her own thoughts for some time. Moments ticked by. Marcus stared at her, she stared at John.

"We started the surgery," she began with a distant voice. "I was working on trying to prep him for when we transferred your heart. Once we were far enough along, I got a better look at where the damage was done. The metal beam missed his heart by roughly an inch and a half. It didn't even nick a major artery. The muscle tissue took the brunt of the attack."

She bit her biting lip, obviously trying to fight off overwhelming emotions. Apparently, the feelings were winning. One solitary tear slid from her eye down her cheek.

"We. . . I- I managed to save most of the cell tissue around the heart." Giving him a brief smile, she continued. "It's amazing what stitches and some skin graphs can do."

"Skin graphs? Where did you get the. . .?" He paused, not sure if the knowledge would be worth it. Did he really want to know the gruesome details? As long as John Connor was alive, did it matter?

"After watching your skin heal at such a rapid rate, an idea came to me. I tested some of the cells from your body—"

"Kate! We're moving out." One of the pilots had cut her off, thankfully. "Everything needed has been packed up. We're all waiting on you."

Packed up? Marcus shot her a disgruntled look.

"We are relocating our base," she informed, nodding towards the man still waiting at the entrance of the tent. "Help me get these two into some helicopters."


	2. Chapter 2

Metal blades whipped overhead in a blurry circular motion as the helicopter sped through the night air. The only sound was the engine running and the wind screaming. No one spoke. If it wasn't for the noise the helicopters were making, it would have been dead silent in the back compartment.

After a swift packing job, the resistance group had loaded up and fled to the sky. The work at their old base was done; Skynet headquarters was destroyed in California. There were still other places to be purged of the mechanical tyrants, aid to be given, hope to be restored, and another battle to be won.

Monotonous – the prospect of having to go through more trials and heartache all over again, taking more risks to potentially walk away with a victory – preferably alive – from another battle. The idea of reliving the last ordeal was enough for Marcus at the moment. Unlike the rest of the resistance, his will to launch himself into the path of the relentless machines was lacking.

Why move out so soon? Why not let John Connor recover from his surgery? Surely moving him from a secure region into a new, unknown, hostile one was a foolish idea.

He couldn't complain though. The resistance members had stayed alive this long. They must have been doing something right. Perhaps questioning their methods so soon after joining among their ranks was his arrogance showing? Or his ignorance? Marcus was still fresh to the war between humans and machines. Who was he to think he knew what was best?

Among these thoughts his mind came to contemplate the complex situation he now found himself in. He was a newly reincarnated hybrid living among humans as one of their own kind when he was questionably more machine then man. He had been a real, fully living and breathing person, once.

_Fifteen years ago I was human._

Looking over his shoulder, Marcus watched Kate sit next to John as he stirred from his drug induced slumber. Connor gave a weak smile to his wife, recognizing her despite his eyes only being half open. Exhaustion and anesthetics were plausibly the cause for his drowsy state.

The redhead bent down, gracing her husband's forehead with a tender kiss. Her ginger locks hid her expression, but when she straightened her back, she was sporting a toothy smile and her blue eyes were sparkling.

Marcus turned away, giving the couple their privacy. Being intrusive was not his intention.

His eyes came to rest on Star, who was sitting between himself and Kyle. She was holding his hand – ironically the one that had the skin melted off during the battle at Skynet, which was now a shiny silver color and dexterous. Compared to her dark chocolate hand against his robotic one, the contrast was almost comical. The little girl did not appear to be bothered by that fact. She had shown no signs of being hesitant towards him once Kyle explained to her what had happened.

Even though Star was mute, she was more observant then many. Her strange gift of knowing when an attack was coming before anyone else was peculiar. Marcus assumed that it was a trait acquired early on to survive in this post-apocalyptic world. It had saved him more then once; God knows how many times it must had saved Kyle.

* * *

There was not much to look at. The endless dark sky the resistance flew through was as easy to get lost in as it was to do so in a pitch-black basement. No markers or distinct signs could tell the pilots where they were, being forced to rely on guidance systems that were built into the transporters alone.

Blair strained her eyes to see anything out the windows of the chopper she was flying. Years as a pilot told her that her efforts were futile and in vain. Still, it was something to distract her mind.

She had received the news about Marcus by Kate immediately following the procedure. All but cornering the good doctor to find out how the transplant went. She had been waiting with Kyle and Star in a different tent close by, poised at the door to spring the moment John Connor's wife entered.

It felt crushing; fighting for the thing she wanted then having it taken away. When Marcus had decided his fate, she had wanted to condemn the leader of the resistance to death in hopes of keeping the hybrid. He was special; something she didn't want to let go of. Like a stubborn dog with a bone, she had clung to the meager hope that he would live.

Blair would never personally concede to anyone the cataclysm of bliss and irrevocable happiness that followed the conversation in sporadic waves. Just now her heart was fluttering once more. The feeling that she could run a marathon across the United States nonstop was rejuvenating contrasted with the dead emotions she had been experiencing prior.

"You okay Williams?"

Being snapped out of her reveries, her eyes riveted over to her co-pilot. He gave her an earnest smile – something not everyone could do these days – and a sublet nudge with his elbow.

"Been kind of quite. Something wrong?"

Glancing back out the capacious window once more she twitched her lips upwards in a half-hearted smirk. "I'm fine. What about you?"

Chuckling he replied, "As good as I can get."

The two lapsed back into an eerie silence. Both letting their minds wander, ignoring the banter of their fellow resistance fighters emitting from behind them. Neither of the two possessed the spirit to celebrate the glorious cognizance allowed.

* * *

"Approaching destination."

She cast a glance at the radar, seeing the desired location appear on the screen and slowly drift towards the center. There was nothing visible to their eyes yet, but if the equipment was working correctly, Blair wouldn't have to see until a landing was required.

"Any ideas on where to put this thing down?"

Pursing her lips, she looked over to her co-pilot with a confused expression. "Mike, I thought it was your job to know."

His blue-gray eyes winded. Obviously he had been misinformed. Whatever Barnes told the man, it wasn't worth anything now.

"Damn!" she muttered under her breath.

The others were following them; they were supposed to know a safe place to land. _That plan just got blown out of the water._

"Contact the others. See if anyone is familiar with territory south of the equator."

Mike stared at her like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. His body stiff, tan knuckles turning white from his death grip on the arms of his chair.

"Do it now! We don't have that much fuel to waste."

Fumbling clumsily with the radio system, he took the black speaker attached to a spiraling cord and held it to his mouth. Stuttering and constantly having to repeat himself, Mike asked the other teams of people if anyone on board had any knowledge of the surrounding lands near the large rainforest that they were quickly approaching.

Three minutes ticked by before the first answer was given. "This is Chopper Three. This is a negative."

The following answers were similar from the rest of the fleet. Out of four fully loaded helicopters and planes, no one knew specifics on the geography of their targeted new base of operations.

_Great._

"Do me a favor Mike; take over for a minute."

Once Blair was confident that her co-pilot had a relatively stable hold on himself and the helicopter, she ducked back to the second larger compartment.

Finding most of the others chatting amongst themselves she gave a loud whistle, prudently drawing their attention. When the faces turned in her direction, most were relaxed or mirthful. Those emotions would be gone in no time flat.

"We are going to have to do a blind landing. I recommend you strap in and hold on. If worse comes to worse, we might be doing an emergency landing if we run out of fuel."

Sure enough, everyone's features shifted. Unlike Mike, most handled the news with smoothness, adjusting to a proper be-braced-for-a-rough-ride expression. Sparks of determination shimmered in their eyes.

Settling back down into her seat, she placed her headset on, taking control once more. Blair confidently guided them down lower, turning on the lights that were attached just under the cockpit of the helicopter.

Searching with frantic eyes, she tried to see what was below them. According to the maps on the computer, they were above land. The question was, were they above the forest or flat land that would be secure to rest on?

"See anything?" she called out.

"No! We're still too high to tell."

Gritting her teeth, Blair lowered them more, coming in at an angle. Hoping that the new vantage point would offer them sight of what lay below.

"Whatever you're gonna do, do it now! The dial is almost on empty!" Mike's voice trilled up two octaves, practically a shrill wail.

This time, the female lacked in grace as she jerked them downward. Trees abruptly interrupted the obsidian abyss they had seen moments ago. Pulling up delicately and turning the helicopter to slant south -banking the chopper- both Mike and herself began to seek a desirable location.

"There!" Mike pointed out towards what looked like a fire and large break in the treetops. Moving the joystick, Blair aimed them for that direction, taking off in a hurry. Chancing a look at the fuel gadded; it read one tick away from hitting "E".

"All units head towards the light in the break southeast." She instructed how to proceed and then cut out. Praying the others had enough energy left to reach the targeted spot.

* * *

Marcus watched as the helicopter he was on and a few others pull up, waiting for instructions from the lead chopper that was searching below them a few seventy feet. When the directions came the pilots steered them towards a flickering yellow light off in the distance.

As they approached, the aircrafts descended with gentle grace. Soon, he could see the tops of trees rushing by, when he looked forward at the oncoming bushes of leaves, he could see them sway to and fro, the current created by the blades spinning above his head.

It seemed like they would make it. He had heard one of the pilots talking to Kate about being low on fuel, and that the plans had changed. They had been looking for a place to land quickly. Now that trouble was not so alarming.

"Star? What is it?"

Gazing at the little girl over his shoulder, the hybrid watched Kyle shake her shoulder with a gloved hand. Her face was frozen in the expression of surprise. Her dark brown eyes wide.

He knew that expression. Before anyone had time to react to her prescience of coming intruders the helicopter was slammed into by an unknown force.

Spinning around in a one-eighty, the craft tried to regain its composure in the air. Another loud bang resonated off the metal. Kate was screaming to protect John as she crouched defensively over him.

Glaring past her, Marcus could see why the doctor's face was twisted into a mask of terror. A T-600 had managed to leap from a treetop onto the side of their transportation. Its glowing red eyes alone were enough to justify the statement "If looks could kill."

Without hesitation, he flung himself across the compartment, whirling past a startled Connor and wife. Outstretching his powerful arms he connected with the face of the robot, his fist jabbing into the right side.

It did little good. The machine reached up and grabbed at his shoulder, attempting to yank him outside and to his death, not fazed by the brute force of his punch.

Kyle was at his side with a shotgun. Cocking it, he then pulled the trigger, a bullet blasted into the forehead of the metal skeleton-like creature. At first, nothing happened; the machine just froze. Then, the red lights flickered and then died.

Ripping its chrome fingers off of him, Marcus chucked it out the side.

"Pull up!" John was shouting.

 _Too late_. More of the same bodies could be seen crawling their way towards them, some on Marcus' side, and some on the other half, closer to where Kate and John were taking shelter.

"Start shooting!" Marcus looked to Kyle who was now slack-jawed by the numbers. "Kyle!"

Like being slapped out of a trance, he lifted his gun and took aim once more.

Star was at Marcus' side as he tossed another robot off. Looking to the child in confusion, he then glanced to her hand to see her offering a glock. That was resourceful.

Grappling at it he didn't wait to see if he had a clear shot when he aimed at the closest machine to the Connors. Luckily, the shot hit from behind, stunning the tracking unit on it. Finishing it off with another bullet, he shoved it off the helicopter.

Daring to look for the other crafts, he could see one spinning around before crashing, another was also being infected with the tyrants, the metal bots clutching to their targets like leeches.

"Shit!"

Marcus was tussling with another robot that tried to climb in, its metal claws ranking down his arm in a fruitless effort to get a hold of him while trying to strangle him to death. Unfortunately for it, that wouldn't do much good for a man that possessed the same deadly strength. Pealing away the slender hand, he kicked up hard, making contact with the head. Rolling to his feet he took the glock that Star had given him and took aim to finish the job when suddenly a loud explosion caused him to catch his breath.

Moments later, the air craft was twisting and circling to the side. He could hear battles going on around him when they crashed into the trees. The last sound he was conscious of was metal ripping and heavy objects smashing around him.


	3. Chapter 3

Darkness consumed everything. Nothing could be distinguished; not a tree from a crashed helicopter, nor a bush from another person. The black sky with its twinkling stars blazing above the thick canopy of leaves was the only light offered next to the waxing quarter moon. With only patches of miniscule moonlight able to seep through the lush green vegetation to light the world beneath the trees, it was a struggle to see if the enemy was still among their ranks, and even if they could see, who was and wasn't the foe?

The advantage went undoubtedly to the machines. Their glowing red eyes were infrared–they could see at night. Humans couldn't, their sight lacking the magnitude of their mechanical counter parts. To make matters worse, the T-600's –and God knows what other kinds of robots –had the home field confidence. The resistance members were unfamiliar to their new surroundings. Had they managed to stay in the air high enough, the bots wouldn't have been given the chance to leap –or demonstrate they were just as pernicious as the calumniators back home.

The viscosity with which the artificial tyrants had lunged at their sworn enemies was persistent. Their only goal; kill the unfortunate human that happened to cross their path.

Blair was well aware of the malicious frame of mind the machines had; stopping at nothing to destroy, charging head first with no self-preservation. If the robots were anything like the ones from California, their tactics of battle would be similar if not the same; relentless and ruthless.

Attempting to stay quite, not wanting to tip off the machines where she was, Blair carefully tried to make her way towards a better lit area. Failing miserably, unable to see where she was walking, a root tripped her up and she went crashing through some brush. Stumbling around a tree she regained a sense of balance just as a massacred helicopter came into sight. One of the rotors was mangled slightly, another was damaged beyond repair. Upon closer inspection, two rotors were wrenched clean off, and there was another chopper that had gone down close by.

Amongst the sporadic chunks of the choppers that had been ripped off, there was an occasional body, but no signs of the terminators other then the smashed up ones that lay lifeless. Approaching the nearest resistance member, Blair knelt down, checking for vitals. _Nothing._

Continuing the process, the second person turned out to be alive. After a few moments of letting the dizziness pass, the man –Barnes– seemed fine.

"Gonna live?" she asked.

"For now, yeah."

Offering a shaky hand, she pulled her fellow resistance member to his feet. The two surveyed their surroundings, watching for any misgivings of the predators' return. So far, they were safe. The coven of machines that had stricken minutes ago was logically small compared to the larger congregation of them in a Skynet HQ. Any robots that had attacked would have been on the choppers that crashed, leaving no survivors– hopefully _._

Blair happened to spot Star. The little girl was approaching Barnes and herself from the direction of the helicopter –that had crashed some fifteen yards back– behind the first one. When she reached them, she turned her chocolate brown eyes on the chopper; turning back to look at them. It was her way of silently saying to follow. Star reached out; taking Blair's hand, then lead the two adults towards the second wreck.

When the three neared the run-down helicopter, Kate came into view. John was sitting up awkwardly next to her. The first thought that came to mind from that scene was that their fearless leader lived... yet again. Other then a scrape and a few cuts, the two appeared to be seriously uninjured, luckily.

Barnes called out, "You guys all right?"

Connor's brown eyes flashed to Kate, who nodded back to him. "We're fine!"

"Where's Kyle?" Blair was curious. Wasn't John Connor's father supposed to be on the same flight?

A thrill of fear caused the icy sensation in her. If Kyle Reese died, they lost the key to the past, the present, and the future. All their hard work to secure his life at California's Skynet Head Quarters would have been for not. Everything would come undone. _The machines would win!_

Star tugged on Blair's arm, pointing to the chopper or rather, behind it. Tussled thick locks of hair could be seen bobbing up and down. Swinging around the front of the destroyed helicopter, Kyle appeared. He was caring a gun and a bag, no doubt scavenging around for things that were of any use. His face held a cheerful grin and his strides were long and confident. If they had been back home, Blair might have found the scene amusing. With the current drier circumstances they were in, she found the bright smirk rather the opposite: disgusting.

* * *

Dark greens swirled around, distorted and fuzzy. It wasn't until Marcus came back to full consciousness that the spinning stopped and realized that he was staring at a tree that was upside-down. Looking around he noticed that he was nested among large protruding roots of another tree. His back was on the ground; legs sprawled out upwards against one of the roots and part of the thick trunk. His position was awkward. Once righted and sitting up properly, he felt the memories coming back to him. The helicopter crashing, the abrupt attack of the T-600's... all of it.

Standing up, Marcus let his eyes scan the forest, at least what he could see. There was a large shape off in the distance; his line of sight obstructed by trees didn't help as he tried to identify what it was. With any luck, it was a resistance chopper that went down. Considering the events that brought him to this moment, it was plausible that fortune was not with him today and the massive shape could be a terminator.

Weighing his options, he ended up going against better judgment and started to trudge towards the elephantine object. With inhuman grace, he silently slithered through wet undergrowth. The dank atmosphere not bothering him in the slightest; the humidity was nothing new when he recalled the heat from California. Marcus was certain that in time, adapting to this new environment would prove austere. If he acclimated himself to this post-apocalyptic world, shifting habitats was rather straightforward.

Dented metal gleaming harsh silver came into view, boosting his confidence. Marcus' steps held more conviction, blazing past the last of the substantial brush, emerging out in the open. His thoughts were set on finding Kyle, Star, and the Connors. In the back of his mind, however, he was secretly mauling over the idea of seeking out Blair. The craving to know if she survived was provoking. _Connor and Kyle first, then Blair._

As if on cue, Kyle entered his line of sight. The boy was collecting a few items before depositing them in a bag he slung over his shoulder. Marcus watched as Kyle took a right and went around the front of the helicopter. The casual way the young man did this led Marcus to believe that the others were close by.

"Hey!" he called out to his comrade.

There was silence that greeted Marcus for a few moments before a reply came. "Who is it? Identify yourself?" The voice was male; deep. It didn't belong to Kyle, but it didn't sound like Connor's either.

"Marcus!"

Slowly, cautiously, Marcus made his way around the other side of the chopper. Rounding the tail of the helicopter, Barnes, Kyle, Star– who was holding Blair's hand–, Connor, and Kate all appeared to him. The man, Barnes, must have been the one that called out. Upon seeing them all alive, Marcus felt reprieve of anxiety– particularly when his eyes landed on the alluring slight figure of Blair Williams.

Kyle offered a warm smile. It was pleasant knowing that despite what he had become, there was still a chance Marcus could still prove there was humanity still left in him. The greeting from his friend showed that much. Star left Blair's side and walked over to him, offering her hand. Comforting jester or not, the frail human feel of the small girl's hand was welcoming as he wrapped his fingers around hers. Connor was content with nodding his acknowledgements before returning his gaze back to Barnes, who had a wearier look of mistrust when his dark eyes glanced at Marcus.

Kate adjusted herself, aiding her husband as he struggled to his feet. Properly standing without leaning on another, John addressed the six of them. "Pair off and look for any other survivors. Be careful though; we don't know if there are any other terminators in the vicinity. I'm going to try and radio the nearest base. See if we can get some assistance."

Connor didn't wait for them to argue or even open their mouths. He limped over to the chopper, clumsily climbing into the cockpit with Kate on his heels. He glanced out at the five, seeing a ray of different expressions. Some were supportive while others were expressionless or frustrated. "Get going!"

Barnes, Kyle, and Star quickly scrambled into one group, heading back to search around the area where the other chopper went down, leaving Blair and Marcus to blankly stare at each other. Both were internally grateful that the other was alive, let alone relatively unscathed. Sure, they were going to be sore and have bruises and already probably had some gashes on them, but that was to be expected from a plane crash.

"Follow me." Blair curtly pulled Marcus out of his musings as she turned to follow after Barnes and the others. "There was a helicopter that went down further back we can check out."

Silently, he fell into step beside her. Neither of them exchanged any words on their trip, which was fine for Marcus. He was content with just being in Blair's presence, part of him wondered if the feeling was mutual. That would have to wait for another time. Danger was still emanate and Blair wasn't hinting at anything other then wanting to get the job done.

Crossing the clearing Barnes had been found in, Blair lead the way through it, then back into the shadows of the forest. Her gait was self-assured, long legs striding with grace, back straight, head high, and her beautiful dark curls bouncing with her movement. Tantalizing she was and Marcus found himself constantly having to refocus on the task before them: finding resistance members that lived.

"Was there anyone alive in your helicopter?"

Refusing to look at him, she kept her gaze ahead of her. "Not sure. We all abandoned the thing once we were hit. Thankfully we had enough parachutes to go around."

They stopped in front of the helicopter she had been piloting. Of the three choppers they had found so far, this one appeared to be the most heavily spoiled. The window was cracked, the entire thing flipped upside-down much like how Marcus had found himself upon waking up, and the body looked heavily dented and disfigured from the punishment of smashing through the tress and killer robots attempting to ground it, which the machines succeeded in.

"That it?" Marcus' gruff voice broke the uncomfortable stillness. Blair had fallen quiet when they spotted it, making him wonder if there was something he was missing about the whole situation.

"Yeah… that's it."

"How many were on board with you?"

Blair's brow crinkled in concentration as she stared down the helicopter that looked like it went through hell and back. Considering what it probably went through to end up on the forest floor, it was a safe bet that it wouldn't be salvageable in any way. She would have to find a new set of wings, and until then, Marcus found himself contemplating the possibilities of dealing with a rather depressed pilot.

"Including myself– seven."

"Is there a chance some of them didn't jump and went down with the helicopter?" He didn't bother to wait for her to reply as he approached the mangled chopper, bending down to look up into the opening, looking for bodies inside.

"Don't bother; I was the last one to jump."

* * *

Turning his neck, Marcus glanced over his shoulder at her. Those marvelous azure eyes peered at her; Blair thought her legs felt like jello for a moment. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched him straighten back up. His muscular figure was impressive, but those damn blue eyes that seemed to see right through her never failed to get the heart rate going.

Ignoring the kick of adrenaline she now had in her system, she turned her attention to the left of the craft, attempting to act like she didn't notice the questioning look in his eyes.

"How did you manage that?"

Blair smirked ruefully. "I put it on autopilot and when I got a safe clearing, I jumped."

"I'll look around over here," she jabbed her thumb to the left, the way she had been looking, "and you can search from the right. We'll meet back up here in a few minutes."

"And if we find someone?" He challenged her plan, just as Blair spun to take off.

"Drag them back here if you have to."

She didn't bother looking over her shoulder at him as she answered, but kept going, slipping into the shadowy abyss, being swallowed up by the forest. Blair tracked around large fallen branches and bushes, attempting to keep on the look out for her comrades while not accidently maiming herself. The task was easier said than done– just about everything was an obstacle to maneuver around.

As she began to circle around, a snapping sound from behind her reached her ears. Spinning on her heels, Blair reached down and pulled out a knife from her boot. If her heart was already racing, then it now picked up into triple time. Listening for more movement, she took a step closer, towards the path she just walked. Brushing aside a large emerald leaf, she glanced at the dark forest with patches of moonlight seeping through the trees. There was nothing there, now.

Another rustling sound came and this time, Blair didn't hesitate to turn and stalk towards it with more aggressiveness. Banking sharply around a tree, the metallic glinting body of a T-600 appeared. The terminator didn't look to have friends with it, possibly a solo survivor of the attack or it was just passing through.

Walking towards Blair, the inhuman creature stretched out an arm which she skillfully ducked under. Raising her sharpened blade, she fearlessly struck the robot in the back of the neck, knowing that if she was able to temporarily disable the tracking unit, she stood a chance of fighting back or at least getting away. Her aim was less than perfect and she missed. Cussing herself out under her breath Blair tried to break away from the enemy but found that she had gotten herself too close.

Swinging out it struck her in the stomach with a powerful blow that had her sprawling backwards with the wind knocked out of her lungs. Suddenly, the ground beneath her was gone and Blair was thrown into the trunk of the nearest tree. The pain blanched after running up her spine. What a way to die, she mused, death by a terminator somewhere in a godforsaken jungle after living through a full out attack then a crash. If she could have picked, Blair was positive that dying with her beloved planes would have been more satisfying then alone with nothing to ease her into death.

* * *

Marcus had been coming back around to overlap part of Blair's side to make sure no one was missed when he came across the fight. They burst into sight just as Blair was hurdled ten feet across the air and into a tree.

Not needing to think, he launched himself towards them at full tilt. Thankfully the glock Star had provided him was still on his person. Yanking it out of a holster he had it in, Marcus swiftly loaded more bullets into it, cocked the gun, and then took aim. Hitting the back of the shoulder got the machine's attention, but no real damage was done. It turned its focus on him, glowing red eyes locked on the new target, leaving Blair all but crumpled on the ground forgotten.

Pulling the trigger, another load sound exploded from the gun. The bullet blasted into the head of the machine, which wasn't fazed. Shooting again and again, the bullets failed to finish off the robot that was closing in.

"Damn it!" Marcus leapt out of the way as its arm came down, smashing hard into a tree. Rolling as another fist came at him, he proceeded to gain back his composure as he found his feet. This time, however, the robot connected, slamming all its strength into one punch that hit the side of his face with a startling force.

Turning his head and cracking it back into position, Marcus stared down the robot for a few short moments. Lifting the gun he placed three more bullets in the head at a close range. Reaching up to make sure the job was finished; he used his robotic-looking hand to sever the head from the rest of the body which collapsed lifelessly. The evil blood glinting eyes darkened shortly afterwards as he dropped the cranium to the ground.

"Blair!" His deep voice rang out into silence. She didn't respond at first, neither moving or answering. Finally, after several long seconds, a groan emitted from the direction of her body.

Marcus approached her, assessing the best way to help her. He knelt down at her side, his face inches away from hers. Her sweet breath hit him with a force not even the T-600 could duplicate, her chest rising and falling at a regular tempo. Blair's eyes were squeezed shut in pain though, her right arm and elbow being cradled into her side with her other arm.

"Blair?"

She reluctantly opened her dark brown almond eyes to gaze into this concerned blue ones. A subtle smile formed at the corners of her lips, threatening to evolve into a crooked smirk. Even with agony riddling her body, Blair never failed to ooze warmth that Marcus had yearned for long before he knew it. He had been with other women before, out of lust; simply a biological need most people fulfilled. She, Blair Williams, was not like the others. The urge to know her, to be with her was not out of physical demanding, but rather, a mental craving to be understood and wanted for who he was.

In time, if given a chance, Marcus was convinced he would prove himself not only to her, but to the rest of the resistance as well. It would be his personal goal; to win Blair's heart, and the trust of his fellow peers.


	4. Chapter 4

"Can you stand?"

Marcus peered into her eyes, seeking an answer to his question. His shoulders were heaving up and down, panting from his wild sprint to her side, forehead nearly brushing against her own, and his muscular body— draped in a navy blue resistance coat similar to the one he wore when they first met— was crouched protectively over hers. The words were delivered with enough casualty, but the intense look emblazoned in his sky blue eyes and the body language he displayed brought about the idea that his question held more meaning to it then the original face value.

She nodded, some of her long dark curls falling forward over her narrow shoulders. "Yeah, I think I can."

Pressing her back to the tree for support, Blair found her footing. Marcus slowly rose from the ground with her, keeping a gentle hand wrapped around her elbow for extra help, ready to catch her at a moment's notice if she fell. To both of their relief, her legs had not taken the brunt of the beating. Her right shoulder and arm, however, was a different story. She babied them with her good side, which he made sure to hold her on.

"Looks like taking on the world and doing another prison break with me is out of the question."

Maneuvering around large roots to start the track back to the downed helicopter, she glanced up at him. There was a wise-guy smirk lifting the corners of his mouth up. Blair lost her train of thought as her mind deviated on a tangent. What would it be like to kiss those ridiculously talented lips again? She recalled their first encounter, made bittersweet by the fact that he was attempting to off himself by offering up his heart— Skynet for some reason or another conveniently left him with— to John Connor, the prophesized resistance leader. His lips had been hard at first, and the moment was rushed; she had only just tasted the delicious sweetness of his lips before he was ripping away.

Blair fumbled at first to come back into the present, endeavoring to blink away her convoluted thoughts, giving herself a moment to become coherent before daring to open her mouth.

"Pardon me?"

"Your right arm," he said gruffly, nodding to the limb being held close to her chest by her left one. "It's your right side."

"So?" she challenged.

"That's your dominate side. You won't be able to do even the most basic things like write or feed yourself without a struggle."

* * *

She arched an eyebrow, that bright smile she gave him was coming to grown on Marcus. The mental note that he only wanted her affections was thrown out the window. He had a physical craving, but it was more then just some injudicious human hormones— if he still had any.

That train of thought brought up memories he had been procrastinating against for some time now, since he first discovered that Cyberdyne had indeed cut him up like he originally wanted them to. Although Marcus was convinced that waking up fifteen years later— after being pulled from death row for an alleged "second chance"— as a hybrid post-Judgment Day wasn't in the contract he signed. Or maybe it was? He never bothered to look at the form Serena offered him; he just sold his body for a kiss that tasted like death. The kiss he had shared with Blair, which was worlds apart from the disgusting one Serena had supplied, was breathe taking, almost to a literal sense.

"Not to point out the obvious, but when was the last time you needed to write since waking up?" Her voice was skeptical but she didn't give him the chance to respond. "I shouldn't have a problem with too many tasks anyway; I'm ambidextrous."

Marcus was shook out of his reminiscences when she spoke, her last few words catching him off guard. Snapping his head around, he stared at her, contemplating the possibility of what she said was true; it was his turn to arch an eyebrow as he watched the continence of her face. He'd never stopped to notice if she ever used her _left hand_. He assumed she was like most people— right handed… only. _Yeah, fifteen years out of date, way to go. Most people today aren't the same as most people back in 2003._

"Are many others like that?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Not sure. I think some people are, but I normally don't take the time of day to notice what hand someone uses."

Blair gave a smug grin which he adamantly tried to ignore, keeping his gaze ahead of them, the chopper just coming into view. He refused to give her the satisfaction of his ignorance to the new times they lived in, at least, that is what he presumed she was smirking about.

"Why? Thought I needed a knight in shinning armor to help me?"

Marcus kept his face expressionless, mauling over the idea of just snubbing her inquiry as well. _To hell with it._

"I'm no knight, and the shiny stuff you could technically call armor is on the inside."

* * *

She stopped in her tracks, surprised by his remark. Blair watched the lithe figure of Marcus trudge towards the chopper, not seeming to notice that she paused. For her, Marcus was as much a man as the next guy, even after she realized he was no ordinary person. When Kate opened up Marcus' clothes, to try and help him with his injuries after accidently stepping on a mine in the resistance territory, she had been shocked to see his heart cocooned by a metal endoskeleton, but never doubted his intentions as anything less then good. Ironically she had been leading him to Connor, who had been looking for Kyle, and Marcus somehow stumbled across John Connor's father by coincidence.

Marcus twirled to look at her, just then realizing she was back a few yards. "Blair?"

"Wh- what?" she called, starting forward once more and coming to his side, the two entering into the clearing together.

"I said I didn't locate any survivors. Did you?"

Looking down at her feet with a sigh, Blair stepped over the last of the lush green underbrush and around the demented chopper. "No."

* * *

The moon was sinking in the early morning sky, the sun still some hours away from rising. Marcus had managed to find a spot to peer through the trees, estimating the time. For all he knew, it could have been one or two in the morning. _Fat chance of anyone being awake at his hour._

Blair and himself had returned to where Connor and Kate were waiting, delivering the news about the run in with a T-600 and no other members of the resistance to be seen or heard of. Barnes, Kyle, and Star had found two people. Both were shaken from the traumatizing experience, but bore few major injuries. One of the two had a busted leg that Kate had to reset; the other just had a slight concussion from impacting with a tree.

Marcus had urged Blair to have Kate look at her arm, but Blair stubbornly refused until John ordered her to see his wife. Kate had set up a makeshift tent for medical attention near the crashed chopper Connor was still trying to use for communication by adjusting some of the wires on the radio. Directing his attention away from the sky, Marcus watched John struggle with the only means of communication for a few moments before striding over to the cockpit, inspecting the machine more closely.

"Do you think you could fix it? Like when we first met?" The inquiry came from Kyle, who was walking towards them, Star in toe.

John's hazel eyes flashed to his father then to Marcus, a quizzical look coming over Connor's face. "The same radio you said you first heard me from?"

Observing Kyle out of the corner of his eye momentarily, Marcus nodded, focusing back on the resistance leader. "Yeah," he answered reluctantly.

Shifting around, John gingerly moved out of the way, leaning on the flipped chopper for support. Pain flashed on his face, but as soon as it had come, it was gone. Connor gained control and forced his expression into a calm mask, eyeing Marcus expectedly. He wasn't sure, but Marcus thought he saw a hint of respect in those burning bronze eyes.

"I'll try. No guarantees."

Sliding in the upside-down cockpit, Marcus leaned towards the radio, sizing it up for a few moments, formulating an idea. Whether it was the machine-half or the human-half, he wasn't positive, but the sudden eureka moment of knowing what to do hit him. Shuffling aside some wires Connor had been working with, he started with a fresh batch of them.

"Don't you need to connect that black one to the red one?" John pointed to the wires he previously had been grueling over.

"No, those don't have any relevance to the radio system."

John frowned. "What do you mean?"

Marcus glimpsed away from his work to Connor. "The ones you were trying to merge together were for the radar unit," Marcus stated with a matter-of-fact tone.

Snorting, Kyle burst into a hard laughter until the look John threw him caused the young man to abruptly shut up. The smile that had lifted his lips up quickly evolved into a serious line, the sparkle of amusement in his eyes never left, though.

Nearly complete with his task, Marcus sighed as he twisted some threads out of the way, annoyance making his brow furrow. He was so close to being done, and being able to get away from Connor who was breathing down his neck with his usual intense demeanor. Kyle was also watching with intrigue as Marcus expertly connected and disconnected wires, picking out the correct ones to use with a keen eye.

Before he finished, one of the many busted pieces of the cockpit sliced the side of his left arm as he worked, leaving a thin cut from where it ripped across his suntanned skin. Cursing under his breath, he was about to return to his project when Star slipped between John and Kyle. The petite girl reached into a pouch she had, pulling out a light blue band-aid, which she delicately wrapped over the injury. The scene was déjà vu; he had been working on one of the jeeps in an abandoned car lot with Kyle and Star, trying to get the engine running by hooking up the last of the wires when a similar accident occurred with one of the objects cutting him, and the small child had done the same thing, producing a bandage.

He grunted a thanks before jerking out two long pieces of black wire. Glancing at Connor, Marcus nodded before pushing them together.

John reached around, careful not to make the same mistake as the hybrid, and grabbed the black piece of plastic strung with a spiraling cord. Raising it to his mouth he hit the side button, hearing static at first.

"Hello…? Can anyone hear me?"

There was a long, dramatic silence that greeted them. Kyle looked to John, who looked to Marcus. All three were holding their breaths, praying that the job Marcus had done worked and that they were in range of another pocket of people with a device able to receive transmissions.

"This is Diba with the resistance in district one." The male voice that came through carried with fluent English, but an accent tinged some of the words, possibly a Hispanic. "Who is this?"

Kyle broke into a full smile, laughing giddily with relief. Connor's lips twitched skywards in a brief leer of victory. Star looked from Connor to Marcus, reaching out and taking his robotic hand into her small, fragile one.

"This is John Connor!" he called into the speaker. "I'm with the resistance from California that was suppose to be transferring."

"Mr. Connor, we've been expecting you for a while now. You were expected to arrive here by midnight."

"Yes, we were." He looked to Kyle then at the tumbled helicopter they were all standing around. "We ran into some trouble. T-600's jumped us when we flew in too close to the forest."

Marcus was wondering if the pause that came after that was from the man on the other side laughing at their ignorance to the new battle front. They probably thought that was a rookie move, which in hindsight was. Either way, the choppers had been low on fuel; they were going to go down one way or another.

"Where are you now?" Diba asked, finally replying.

John's brow crinkled. He glanced around then to Kyle and Marcus. _Like hell we would know where we are._ Marcus' thoughts were scathing, regardless of the verity that it was their own fault they were in that situation.

"We crashed two or three miles below the equator." John nodded to Marcus after giving their vague location. Taking his hand off the button so the man didn't hear his next words, he said: "Go get Blair. See if she can't get the damn thing to gives us specific coordinates."

"Hold on, we might be able to get the exact location." Connor said, speaking into the radio.

Diba came through once more. "Okay. How many of you are we looking for?"

Sighing, Connor grudgingly answered: "There were four helicopters. Three of them we've found. The fourth one is unknown. So far, we've only found nine survivors, myself included."

Marcus nodded to John, taking his leave after that. He had a good idea of where to find Blair, who had yet to reappear from the tent a few yards back from the helicopter. Kate was probably still working with the three patients, none of them yet released from her surveillance.

* * *

Blair had found a comfortable spot to sit in the medical tent Kate had miraculously managed to salvage from the wrecked chopper. She had patiently waited for the doctor to finish her work with the other two resistance fighters first, knowing they were in more critical condition then she. Barnes had taken up post nearby to watch for any signs of more terminators on Connor's orders, a carbine held securely in his hands, scanning the dark forests.

Kate approached Blair with a weary expression. Her normally vibrant ginger hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, looking scruffier then usual. Kate's shoulders sagged from exhaustion; the posture the woman held herself in was lacking its habitual elegance and grace.

"Will the baby be all right?" Blair knew that despite John and Kate never talked about their unborn child; they both still cared for it, anxiously awaiting her due date that was another two months away. The crash was stressful and held the potential to affect the survival of the baby. It was bad enough that Kate was already under enough strain as it was; their current predicament wasn't helping the pregnancy any.

She smiled, looking down at her swollen stomach, rubbing it with a hand. "Yes. I checked as soon as I could."

"Are you all right?"

Kate lifted her head, glancing back up to Blair once more. "I'm alive, my baby is safe, John is still going, so yes; I am okay." Looking at the arm Blair was cradling, Kate smirked with amusement. "I should be asking you the same question. Marcus said you hit a tree pretty hard."

"Damn terminators and their strength," Blair muttered to herself.

Chuckling, Kate stood in front of Blair, testing the fingers, hand, and wrist first. She then proceeded up the arm, finally finishing at the shoulder. Kate must have seen the winces Blair tried to hide, for she became gentler in her probing. Thankfully, the doctor finished quickly, saving Blair from any more pain.

"I do believe you dislocated a shoulder. The mobility of your hands and fingers say nothing is broken. I didn't feel any bones out of place along your arm or wrist either."

Sighing, Blair offered a weak smile to her friend. "So that means a fast recovery time? Not as much agony as a broken bone, right?"

Kate nodded. "It does mean you will be functional sooner, yes. Before you ask, you should be fine after I relocate it— just sore for a few days—, but that doesn't mean the relocation won't hurt like hell."

 _Great. What I wouldn't give to have painkillers available._ Blair thought with irritation.

Taking a position where one hand was on Blair's left shoulder while the other was holding her arm just three inches above the wrist, Kate asked, "You ready?"

"No. Now just do it!"

Applying pressure on the shoulder Kate wrenched Blair's arm up at a ninety-degree angle. A pop was heard and then an audible groan. Blair had clamped down on her lips to save from shrieking her discomfort. If there was anything left for her to maintain, it was her dignity, and screaming like a child unquestionably would had robbed her of that.

* * *

Her striking brown eyes were glazed over in anguish when Marcus entered the tent. She was hunched over, biting down on her bottom lip. Blair was in serious pain, he understood that much. Kate was next to her, rubbing the resistance fighter's back in soothing circles, no doubt offering the only comfort she could for her friend. Painkillers were rare to come by, and usually were saved for more drastic injuries, so whatever was causing the discomfort would be a burden Blair would just have to deal with.

"You okay?" He ghosted to her other side, the one that had been injured.

"I'm f- fine."

Kate gave a knowing look to Blair before acknowledging his presence. "She just had a dislocated shoulder, nothing too damaging."

He had never personally dislocated his own shoulder, but his brother had. Marcus could fleetingly remember his younger sibling cussing up a storm when his was relocated; thrashing savagely about, his brother's fist virtually missing the EMT that was trying to aid him by an inch. It hadn't been funny at the time, but looking back now, Marcus found the idea of a sophomore in high school clobbering a buffed guy that had been twice their size rather amusing. The guy that reset his brother's shoulder probably found the idea of the siblings sneaking out of school— through a classroom window when the sub was temporarily gone— and the younger of the two tripping and dislocating his shoulder in the process amusing as well.

"She just needs to take it easy for a few days," Kate assured, rousting Marcus from his musings.

Blair grunted her disapproval. If there had ever been a woman that was more against practicality when it came to self preservation, she took the cake. Marcus had only known Blair for a short period of time, but the girl had spunk. Throwing herself into danger for the sake of others, tirelessly fighting for her stake in the world and what she believed in.

"Can you manage a quick trip?" Marcus asked.

Kate's face was stern. "Define _quick trip_ , please."

"Connor... He wants Blair to try and get our specific location from the GPS in the helicopter."

"You got through then?" Blair sounded more like herself, the strained look she had was promptly fading with each passing minute.

"Yes. They agreed to assist us, but it would make the rescue mission faster and easier on everyone if we weren't a big question mark in the middle of a rainforest."

* * *

With a resigned sigh, Kate nodded, giving permission for her to leave. Blair wondered who would have won the fight if Kate refused to let her go. John could be demanding, even stubborn. For as long as she had been with the resistance, Connor had always held the finality of any decision, when it was in his jurisdiction to settle on.

"Just don't over do it, Blair," Kate chided. Her face was set in a frown of disapproval, but the woman seemed to understand how grave the situation was.

"I'll be fine. I'm sure I got plenty of muscle to do the dirty work for me." Grinning, Blair leered at Marcus who had crossed his arms and stood off to the side, leaning on one of the polls keeping the tent up. He arched a questioning eyebrow, but said nothing. The blank expression he wore covering up whatever emotions were swirling behind the indifferent façade.

Marcus and Blair both exited silently out of the tent, walking side by side as they approached the chopper. Neither of them said a word until Connor appeared out of the cockpit, Kyle standing off to the side of the opening, helping the resistance leader fumbled to his feet.

"How's that arm?" John asked with actual concern, which was a rare display of emotion for him.

"I'll live. A dislocated shoulder is all."

Nodding, he motioned to the chopper. "Think you can tell us where the hell we are?"

Blair glanced at the interior of the helicopter, noting how smashed up some of the controls were— sharp objects jutting out with jagged ends, wires hanging loosely from the dashboard, and the windshield was cracked in a spiderweb design.

Shrugging nonchalantly, she slid into the compartment, riffling through the mess. She could sense four pair of eyes watching her as she inspected the radar unit. Connor's stare was severe; she could almost sense his eyes burning into the back of her head. Star was to Connor's right, watching with childlike interest, which wasn't a surprise considering the girl was no older then twelve. Kyle gave up after a few moments, leaving to presumably check on Kate and Barnes. Marcus stood to Connor's left, his blue eyes trained on her, never leaving her profile for a second. If audiences' stares had never seemed suffocating to Blair before, they sure did now.

"I can safely say it is salvageable. If you guys can get it to work, I'll be able to give you the coordinates, no problem. Only catch is, I don't know how to fix that kind of stuff. Electric controls were never my forte," Blair admitted.

Turning to directly face them, Blair caught John throwing Marcus a questioning look. Whatever exchanged between the two men, she would never know, but Marcus mumbled something to himself before climbing in with her. Reaching around he yanked a few wires towards him, beginning to untangle the wad.

She watched his prestidigitation with the job in awed silence. Marcus seemed to have a craft with hotwiring... or anything to do with mechanics in general. He pulled out a small knife, cutting a few wires, then continuing his monotonous task of ordering them. John handed him some thin, black tape— Blair assumed it was electrical tape— one of the few things they had brought with them that could serve a purpose and wasn't too beaten to be considered junk.

From time to time, she found herself not staring at Marcus' daedal hands, but his face. Secretly, Blair was admiring his cropped bronze hair, effervescent blue eyes, expansively muscled shoulders, and the sentiment of security his presence provided. Marcus had saved her life and Connor's on more than one occasion, which was perhaps where the feeling of protection stemmed from. _Maybe this is his new second chance… or third._ _Third time's a charm._

Marcus unexpectedly intruded on her personal monologue. "Hand me the tape."

Tearing her eyes away from him, she bent over and retrieved the black electrical tape that had been resting next to her foot. When she passed it over, Blair focused on the progress Marcus had been making while she had been suffering from a case of negligence. The way the wires were realigned back into the dashboard suggested she had been inattentive for awhile, or Marcus was simply that good— could have been a miscellany of both.

"Almost done?"

Stuffing the last of the wires he had in his hand into the opened control panel, Marcus nodded to her with a subtle smile on his face. "Finished."


	5. Chapter 5

Silence greeted the three resistance members. Neither John Connor, Blair Williams, nor Marcus Wright could think of something to say to each other. The GPS in the crashed helicopter had worked perfectly, after some masterful wire work on Marcus' part. Upon discovering their location, John had radioed Diba at the resistance base, zealously relating their coordinates. Diba had assured them help was on the way before informing them that it could take up to three hours to find the surviving members of the crash.

Instead of removing himself from the confines of the downed chopper he still sat in – the very one he had been working in to get the GPS to give the resistance their location – and talking to Blair or John, he let his mind wander. Marcus had found the circumstances he was in bizarrely dreamlike. Part of him believed he would wake up back in 2003, Judgment Day just a figment of his imagination, and the proceedings leading up to that moment a mere trance of his mind.

"… cus…"

"Mar… cus…"

A jarring motion from his right side caused him to look up from his hands.

"Marcus?" It was Blair. Her apprehensive face was sporting a rather cute frown, brow rutted in concern. She blinked her dazzling hazel eyes, which sparkled in the gloomy shadows they were cast in. The light once presented through the large— now cracked— window was gone. He could just make out her salient figure silhouetted against the moonlight shining in miscellaneous silver streaks outside the chopper they both sat in. _How long was I out of it?_

"Hum? What?" he asked, surfacing from a deep stupor.

"I asked, are you okay with that?"

"Okay with what?" His voice sounded groggy, his mind was still struggling to concentrate.

She arched an eyebrow. "Okay with taking the first shift."

* * *

The mildly perplexed expression that crossed his face was endearing. Blair's heart fluttered before taking off once more in a mad sprint that only Marcus was capable of inducing. He was supposed to be the enemy – the evil and terrifying enemy, not the adorably cute or tantalizingly handsome ally _. How the hell does that work?_

She found it hard to be put out with Marcus, even when he ignored her entire spiel on what they were doing. Normally, Blair would have slapped – no, viciously beaten – someone that dared to write her off like that. Marcus was a different ballgame though. Why she couldn't bring herself to be irate at him for not listening to her, Blair didn't know, but what she did grasp was that his mind had been thoughtful. She saw the way he had been glowering at his hands.

Where did his mind wander to when he was thoughtful? When he looked at his hand – the robotic one that had been smoldered by molten lava and stripped of human flesh – did he see living proof that this new body of his held potential – positive potential? Or did he internally cringe with abhorrence at what he'd become? Blair was naturally curious about everything – Marcus was no exception. She often found herself sedulous in her pursuit of piecing together the enigma that was Marcus Wright.

The brooding calm she had come to identify with him was averred in these moments, where it was tangible that he was torn between two worlds. Blair pondered time and time again with what world Marcus truly identified with. When Connor had been interrogating him, Marcus had sworn he saw himself human, and nothing less. Even now, Marcus continued to prove himself a friend of the resistance, not an antagonist.

She knew where her loyalties lied, and she also was becoming increasingly aware of where her thoughts and emotions on Marcus stood as well – hybrid baggage included. The real question was where did his mind rest? Did he firmly place his being with the resistance? And was it at all possible that maybe somewhere in there, inside that _man_ , there was a miniscule chance he returned her feelings?

"What _first shift_?" he finally asked. This time, it was _him_ that was pulling _her_ from a case of bottomless reflection.

"The first shift that… wait. Are you tired right now?"

* * *

Marcus stared at Blair. He was conscious of the fact that he probably was staring at her in such a way that it would make someone think Blair just slapped him. She might have very well just have. The question was like a mental wallop. At first, he didn't know what the hell just happened, and when he did, there was a long pause that followed.

 _Do I_ need _to sleep?_ He contemplated the question. When he couldn't manage an answer, he relied on what he did in the past – post to waking up after fifteen years of hibernation.

The night he'd spent with Kyle, when they first met, he had slept. The night he had shared with Blair on their journey back to the resistance camp, he hadn't. Like his hybrid body, his sleeping habits and needs were also a mixture of the two – human and machine. Marcus came to the conclusion that he didn't need sleep _every_ night per say, but he did need it. His mind – the human half – and his body – again, the human part – needed rest and recuperation that came with sleeping. Due to having a human mind, he still needed to psychologically work out problems in his sleep, and his heart plausibly required the low level of activity sleep gave to maintain a healthy condition.

"I think that is a loaded question," he finally said.

Blair blinked. "What?"

"I mean your phraseology has assumptions," he clarified.

"I _know_ what a loaded question _is_ ," she retorted under her breath. " _I meant_ how you figured my question is tricky."

Marcus had to work to hide his smile; Blair's expression was priceless. Her face was confused and annoyed at the same time. The combination on her was comical.

"You're assuming that I _need_ to sleep."

* * *

She thought the statement over. It never occurred to her that Marcus might not actually be able to sleep… or rather, his body might not physically necessitate it. Still, why would her question be hard to answer?

"I don't understand." She admitted her ignorance, grudgingly.

He smiled. "I don't have to sleep… not in the conventional way you are thinking anyway."

"What are you talking about?" She tried to hide her irritation, but petulance found its way into her voice despite her best efforts.

"I don't have to sleep every night. Just every other night or every three nights I need to," he explained, choosing to disregard the tone of her voice.

"Oh.…" What more was there to say? Blair wasn't sure how to react to that, or even if there was a proper response to something like that.

He abruptly asked, "Where's Connor?"

"Resting. He might lead us, but Kate asserts herself when it comes to his health. She about hauled him back to the tent by his ankles.… How did you miss that? John was right next to you when he had a tantrum over the whole thing." She smirked at the memory.

"Kate, Star, Phil, and Lilly are all sleeping as well. We agreed that only two people needed to keep watch while we waited for rescue," Blair continued, filling him in on what he missed.

"Phil and Lilly?" he asked confused, brow furrowed.

"The two other survivors we found." She paused. "Kyle and Barnes are waiting to see if either of us need to rest. They both volunteered to be the lookouts if we were too tired."

Realization brightened his azure eyes. "That's what you meant by the first shift."

Blair nodded, concurring. "Yeah, that's what I meant."

* * *

_How long was I out of it?_ He thought to himself again. He missed John raising hell with Kate, and apparently one very imperative conversation. Marcus scowled as he stared out the cracked window in front of him. Only then did he also notice that he and Blair were both in the upside-down chopper still… _alone_.

"So, you tired _tonight_?" Blair asked.

"Uh – no."

"I'll stay up with you. I caught more sleep before we left then Barnes and Kyle did put together." Blair laughed silently to herself, her frame shaking with amusement as she crawled out. "Be back in a minute."

Marcus watched her go. His mind traveling back to its prior train of thought before Blair butted in again. Before he wasn't sitting in the helicopter alone; they had privacy, and he could have said something to her about his feelings. He just missed his chance. _Damn it!_

After a few moments of reprimanding himself for being so inattentive, he then climbed out as well. If he was taking the first watch, he couldn't do it from inside a mutilated helicopter.

Standing just four yards from the helicopter, Marcus watched as both Kyle and Barnes ducked away into the medical tent. Blair was padding back towards him confidently, a subtle smile on her angelic face. Watching her, he found himself wondering what it would be like to have Blair pressed up against a tree, her body under his….

* * *

"Going to make it through the night?" she called out to him. Unable to hide the grin building, she gave into some badinage. It was easier to deal with everything when keeping conversations light, opposed to ominous and morbid.

Marcus had an unfathomable expression. He crossed his arms and waited for her to come closer before replying. "Yeah, it's you I'm worried about."

Amazing, simply amazing. With one sentence, Marcus had stopped her heart and then caused it to start back up again in uneven staccato beats that made a hurricane sound tame. He was worried about her? _He didn't mean it in_ that _kind of_ _way. Stop_ _jumping to conclusions Blair! You're losing it._

"I'm… fine," she finished awkwardly.

"You're positive? Kyle or Barnes could always —"

"No. I'm good, really." She cut him off.

Marcus raised one incredulous eyebrow, but did not push the subject any further.

She finally came to stand a foot in front of him. Lifting the gun Barnes had previously held – she handed the carbine over to Marcus, along with some more ammunition for his glock. He took it without protest, loading the small hand gun then inspecting the larger weapon. This caused Blair to snort, but she waved off the inquisitive look Marcus shot her.

His blue eyes ran over her before finally speaking. "I take it we'll be splitting up – you on one side of the clearing, me on the other."

Blair leered at him. "I asked Connor about that, actually. He said it would be safer if we didn't split up this time. He suggested finding a spot where we could watch the entire clearing while being secure from a surprise attack."

"Right." He looked around, turning his back to Blair as he began heading towards a large tree that was towards the edge of the clearing, looking like it was half way between either side of the makeshift camp they set up. Marcus lifted his head, staring up into the twisting branches. He judged the space between him and the lowest hanging branch on the tree, mentally calculating the distance. _No more then three feet._

"Hold this." Marcus handed Blair the carbine before twisting back around and launching himself up the tree. With little effort, he hauled himself onto the lowest branch, proceeding to shift onto a slightly higher thicker one. Knowing from prior experiences as a kid, the bigger the branch, the more likely it was that part of the tree wouldn't snap under his weight.

When he glanced down to Blair, he noticed the dirty look she was giving him. Her face was distorted by some leaves, but he was pretty sure it was the you-got-to-be-kidding-me expression.

"Hand up the guns. Then you can come up."

* * *

Blair muttered to herself as she passed up his carbine and glock. While he situated himself with the weapons, she took the time to make sure her own pistol was secure in its harness. When he returned his attention back to her, he had an expectant expression on his face.

"You do realize, Marcus, that you are about three inches taller then me, right?"

"Jump. I'll catch you and help you up," was all he said.

 _Not on your life!_ Blair wanted to hurl the retort at him, but she knew he was right. Being in a tree meant they were out of sight, and less likely to be spotted by a terminator. On top of that, they would have their back to the tree instead of open for something to sneak up behind them.

"Fine!" she finally relented. Sighing, she gauged the gap, and then used her foot to try and jump up higher. Grabbling for the branch, Blair missed, but Marcus was ready. He leaned down and snagged her wrist and forearm with his two powerful hands, pulling her up like a sack of feathers.

Once Blair had her feet firmly planted on a tree branch next to his, she tugged her arms away from his grasp. Self-consciously, she brushed off some leaves and branches clinging to her dark curls with persistence. This would be the last time she'd let him talk her into climbing up a tree. She had done the activity frequently when she was a kid, back on her parents' farm.

Forcing bitter memories away, she turned to see that same immeasurable expression on Marcus' face. This time, there was a raw emotion gleaming in his eyes, one Blair suspected that she wasn't suppose to notice.

Leaning forward, their branches a good foot apart, he raised his hand. Blair's breath was caught in her throat at the close proximity of his face being no more than three inches from hers. His hand wrapped around the side of her head, a moment later it was back in her line of sight, a leaf in his hands.

"You missed one," he jived. That wickedly amused smile of his made her heart melt and body feel like jello all over again.

* * *

Blair was holding her breath, worrying her bottom lip by biting down on it, possibly from nervousness. She looked… so innocent. Marcus almost couldn't believe this was the same woman that had – without hesitation – shot one of the men that had attacked her three or four nights ago at a race track.

He refused to move his face so much as an inch from hers, and it dawned on him that his closeness was probably what had caused her to momentarily stop breathing. When she did start again, her warm breath blew into his face, assaulting him with the delicious smell.

Marcus paused, weighing how he would be received by her. _I'm already going to hell, might as well do it right._

Slowly, he began leaning closer. If his mind wasn't playing tricks on him, Blair was closing the distance between them as well. His lips were just about to brush her own when—

"BLAIR! MARCUS!"

* * *

Blair fell forward, catching herself on a near by branch as Marcus twisted away – she presumed to see who had interrupted them. When she righted herself, Blair looked down to see Kyle calling their names again. _DAMN IT KYLE! I'm going to kill you._

"We're up here!" Marcus finally called out. His voice was husky, gruffer then usual.

Kyle bounded over to the base of the tree, standing directly below them and peering up. His eyes were wide, face expressing mild curiosity. "What are you doing up in a tree?"

"Watching for trouble," Blair grumbled just loud enough for the young man to hear. " _What_ are _you_ doing?"

He smirked. "Connor said I could keep watch with you two."

 _Connor,_ Blair thought maliciously. _Of course. I'm going to skin both their hides._

Marcus sighed, low enough that she wasn't even sure if that was what it really was. He then glanced at her, trying to convey some vital emotion before returning his gaze reluctantly to Kyle. "Do you need help getting up?"

Kyle shook his head. Like a monkey, he agilely climbed the tree. Sitting down between the two on a branch just above their heads, grinning in a way she thought could be considered maniacal.

"There isn't much to do," Blair admitted. She stared up at him as he pulled out a knife and a block of wood. Watching with frustrated curiosity, she finally realized that he was carving wood. Occasionally, some of the shavings would fall onto her or Marcus. _Great. Just freaking great._

"This is going to be one _hell_ of a _long night_ ," she muttered, leaning back against the tree.

* * *

Time ticked by painfully slow. It seemed to drag on forever. If it had only been Blair and himself, Marcus was sure they could have passed the time with more entertaining activities then the seldom glances they shared or small talk.

He wasn't sure how to bring up the fact that they nearly kissed in conversation, and the fact that Kyle – who had conveniently interrupted them – was sitting just above their heads would no doubt hear whatever they said. Then again, it wasn't something one could casually bring up at all when trying to talk. Eventually, he just let the idea die away.

Blair rarely even looked in his direction. He assumed she was ignoring him, ardently. Marcus took advantage of this time to watch her, and the clearing of course. From where he sat, he couldn't catch even the slightest hint of her olive-toned face. He had a fabulous view of the back of her head though, for what it was worth.

"What do you reckon the time is?" The question came from Kyle.

Blair didn't even fidget, so Marcus decided that meant he would be answering. "Don't know. Judging by the height of the moon in the sky, I'd say we've been sitting here for an hour, though."

Kyle groaned, "I wish something exciting would happen!"

That got Blair's attention. "Careful what you wish for. You know what they say about wishing."

There was a pause for a moment, then, "What _do_ they say about it?" he asked.

"You might just get what you want, but don't expect," she replied dryly.

Marcus chuckled to himself. The discussion was rather amusing. When he looked over to Blair, she was staring back at him. To his surprise, there was a mischievous smile on her face. He felt his eyebrow arch – a reflexive habit he had – but when he opened his mouth to question her about the expression, she lifted her index finger, silently hushing him.

She noiselessly began to reposition herself; she was now crouching directly under Kyle, just out of his line of sight. When Marcus glimpsed up at the other man, to see if he noticed anything, he found that Kyle was too preoccupied with carving his wood again.

 _What the hell is she up to?_ He watched intriguingly. She slowly began to stand up until suddenly she reached out and grabbed both of Kyle's legs hanging off the branch above, letting out an attention garnering " _BOO_!"

Kyle let out a loud yelp – no it was more like a screech – of terror before a loud bustling sound was heard and Marcus' head followed the body of Kyle Reese as he dropped to the forest floor. Still befuddled, the boy scrambled to stand up, whipping his head wildly around from side to side before finally noticing that a boisterous laughing sound was coming from a convulsing Blair Williams above. Marcus was also grinning and chuckling along with her. The face he had made when Blair had grabbed his feet was another priceless moment.

"That wasn't funny!" he hollered up at them. Blair was still smiling smugly as she held onto her ribcage, still fighting off her giggling fit. Marcus just let out a few more supple chuckles before sobering.

"I beg to differ!" Blair yelled back. She habitually wasn't a person to screw around, but for some reason or another, she had decided to forgo the no nonsense attitude for a brief few minutes. Marcus couldn't blame her; Kyle had it coming to him.

Just then, the sound of helicopters could be heard off in the distance. Blair, Kyle, and himself all stilled. Then, following the orders John had given her, Blair pulled out a stick – candle-looking in appearance – and lit it. A spark flew up into the night sky – Blair being mindful that they were surrounded by trees when using the flare to draw the recues' attention. Another spark flew up about two minutes later from the same stick as two choppers began to sound closer and closer.


	6. Chapter 6

The whipping sound of the rotors churning overhead was deafening. Marcus couldn't hear his own voice as he tried to call out to Blair, who was no more than a foot away from him. Her dark hair was flying around her head, the tree tops swaying.

Before the arrival of the rescue squad it had been dead silent. He almost longed for the eerie stillness compared to the ear shattering noise that came from the three helicopters over head. If this was all he would have to endure, then Marcus was sure that the trade off for staying alive and being evacuated to a hideout was worth possibly going deaf sooner then he originally planned.

Two of the choppers remained higher up in the sky – undoubtedly keeping a safe distance in case of a repeat from earlier that night. Watching them circle the main area they were in, Marcus was confident they were also scanning for any signs of terminators or threats. The third chopper was a good fifty feet lower with two men from the craft directing them in how to get aboard.

After being lowered down – the men had brought three extra harnesses down with them – they began hooking up the survivors. Obviously John, Kyle, and Kate were the main priorities and were lifted up first. Star was next, then Lilly when two of the rope devices came back down.

Each helicopter could only hold so many people, so the men explained that one of the other choppers would get the remaining four. They proceeded to fly up and moments later the craft was maneuvering to the far left and up, making room for one of the others to take its place while it took up surveillance for threats with the third chopper.

Lowering steadily, the second helicopter took up the same position as the first, this time only one man propelled down to aid them – four harnesses accompanied him.

Blair was hooked up first – being the only women left – then Phil due to being injured. Barnes was next, and finally Marcus was last. When they were all secured they tugged on their ropes and quickly started drifting skywards. Blair and Phil naturally were hauled into the safety of the back compartment first, the last three taking turns scrambling into the shelter.

Once everyone was loaded properly, the three helicopters banked southeast and started back to their home base.

Marcus didn't realize he had been holding his breath until he let out a sigh of relief once the rescue was on their way. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest. Tuning out the others, he listened for a while, the prevailing beats that gave proof that he still lived soothed his tense state. Even with the boisterous sounds of the choppers his heart was audible.

Naturally, he wondered if the kick of adrenaline was the cause for his pounding heart. He paused. _Do I have the fight or flight response still?_

Serena had said the human condition no longer applied to him. Somehow, Marcus managed to feel physical pain, experience emotions – Blair was testament to that, required sleep – to a level, and his heart and body reacted to stressful situations. If that wasn't the basics of a human being then all the crap the teachers preached in school was a load of bullshit, not that he already believed that sentiment.

"Are you okay?" Blair's voice sounded close.

Marcus glanced up from his feet and locked eyes with her tawny ones. Her face was two inches from his – the ability to calculate space accurately was just another skill. He wouldn't mind this proximity in a more privet setting, but with the others observing them he felt uncomfortable.

Leaning away, he let his back brace against the wall behind him for some space.

Blair's face fell. Her unruffled façade was flawless to anyone else. After spending a good portion of his time admiring and observing her, Marcus began to pick out hints of deeper emotions in her face as he grew more acquainted with her. His eyes could decipher the hurt that reflected in hers, or at least that is what he thought it was. Watching a petite part of the flames in her liquid warm eyes die made a stab of regret puncture his heart. Marcus had not meant to hurt her feelings – the thought was childish – but all the same, remorse tugged at his resolve.

"I'm good. You?" He recovered quickly, hoping to save both of their decorum.

"Fine," she said.

The intense look that burned like golden flames in her eyes subsided and was replaced by that of the dull hues of apathy. Blair's friendly attitude swiftly took on one of indifference as she, too, leaned away, scooting closer to the other person she was sitting next to. The man seated besides her appeared pleased, which made Marcus secretly squirm inside. Just the way the tall dark-haired man glared at her like a piece of meat was enough to solicit an immediate loathing of his moral fiber from Marcus.

Part of him was now cantankerous; he was the one that reacted scantily to her candidness. Marcus hated to admit it – and boy did he – but it was his own fault Blair backed off. When he let his mind travel over the situation again, Marcus realized that he just compromised what he had been trying to achieve: her trust and affection. Blair had been showing him her attention and fondness and he blew it off out of concern for her social well-being when the Amazon Resistance found out about his hybrid status. Now he might have to face the ramifications of a possible relationship he could have had with her being slowed or temporarily put on hold.

 _Damn it! Think next time_ _Marcus_. His personal thoughts on his actions were scathing. As self-serving as reprimanding himself sounded, Marcus shook it off and retained his attention on Blair, who looked to be lost in her own personal monologue.

"The new front – it's here?" he asked, hoping to pull her from her reveries.

She snapped her head up and around to stare at him, her expression blank.

"Excuse me?"

"The new front for fighting the machines, it's here in the rainforest?" he asked, careful to clarify himself.

Blair nodded. "The next major Skynet Headquarters is here, we're taking our battle global."

She must have seen the bemusement on his face, for Blair continued to explain to him. "Connor's idea. He wants the world to start fighting back, and Command was blown to Kingdom come so there is nothing stopping him – other then Kate."

"Kate? How is Kate stopping him?" Marcus questioned dubiously.

"Kate is trying to slow him down. She is concerned for his health, naturally. His heart may not have been brutally beaten, but his body took a traumatic hit. It takes time to recover from major injuries – not that you would know anything of it."

The last part of her statement stung. Was that venom he detected in her voice? Had Blair gone from friendly to acrimonious all because of one simple gesticulation on his part? This was getting complicated… and fast.

Marcus was good at holding his composure, normally remaining politely detached. Her words had caused him to not so subtly flinch, breaking through his carefully crafted indifference. The fact that he knew he had without a second guess only proved how deep her words could cut; no one had made him even wince until he stumbled onto Blair. He would have believed himself indestructible until Blair came along. She so easily seemed to hack away at him – it was demoralizing.

Blair promptly apologized. "Sorry, that wasn't supposed to come out."

 _Wasn't supposed to come out? Seriously?_ The mere fact that she thought it hurt. Maybe he had been wrong about Blair. Marcus had been so sure that she actually saw him for a human, but now he wasn't so confident. He had presumed that he had at least proven that much to her – that he was indeed equal to any other man.

 _Looks like I got a_ long _way to go._

* * *

Some forty minutes later the helicopters were landing in a strip of land roughly two miles north of the resistance base – according to the pilots. One thing she had learned from the harsh life was not to trust anyone. Blair knew that these people were theoretically their allies, but instinct took over and she'd become weary.

She took comfort in Marcus' presence the whole flight. His very being oozed the feeling of a safe harbor. The bravura of muscles that rippled in his arms and whole upper torso – most of the toned physique hidden beneath his black t-shirt and navy blue resistance jacket – was part of it. When Blair stared into those magnificent azure eyes, a sense of security was bestowed on her almost simultaneously.

Blair yearned to just forget their surroundings and curl up against his vast chest, cradled in his arms, listening to the attractive sound of his heart beating. Part of her wished they could return to that night at the abandoned race track, where Marcus had – with reluctance she will admit – allowed her to do just that. The possibility of a reenactment was slim to none at the moment. Not only was it not the time and place, but Marcus had taken on a frosty demeanor towards her.

 _All I asked was if he was okay. It wasn't like I asked for him to take out a hit on someone._ She would have believed that, until she recalled her words from earlier. Blair was just now realizing how what she implied could have pushed their current circumstances along. He hadn't been cold or irked until after she tried to apologize for her slip. It did no good; Marcus just ignored her and refused to look in her direction.

Stepping out of the helicopter, she ducked her head and followed the line of people leading away from the air crafts. The rotors were still spinning, the pilots hadn't left their cockpits; they weren't done – plausibly off on another assignment after dropping the survivors and some of the rescuers off.

Marcus brushed by her – nearly knocking her over in his haste – as he headed for John, Kate, and Kyle. She watched as he promptly flanked John's left – the side closest to her. Barnes had also passed her, taking up Connor's right. Kate stepped back and let the men help her husband hobble towards what looked to be an elephantine building built into the side of a cliff that loomed at least fifty feet over their heads.

Blair took up a residence besides Kate, walking with her behind the three men and guide that would be escorting them around. Kyle and Star fell into step behind them with Phil, Lilly, and two other people that aided in the rescue, bring up the rear.

The posse made their way inside the arched building, entering into what looked like one long tunnel – lined with metal support beams, iron plated walls, dirt and gravel made up the floor, and thick cables larger then Blair's arms running at the top of the shaft, about nine or ten feet above her head. Had she known any better, it almost looked like something out of a science fiction book.

"Where are we?" Connor's voice rang out as clear and attention-garnering as ever.

The guide ahead of them turned, a wry smile on his handsome face. "This is just one section of numerous underground tunnels that we use for safer transportation from one place to another."

 _Could you be any more ambiguous, please?_ Blair's sardonic thoughts matched their guide's expression perfectly.

 _What was his name again?_ She fumbled for a few moments, trying to recall it from earlier when he introduced himself on the way in. _Volker… how fitting._ And it was. From what Blair could remember from her sketchy German knowledge, his name had something to do with " _people army_ ".

"Where are we _going_?" Kate quipped in a dry tone.

Blair focused on the blonde man ahead of them again. As she surveyed him more closely under the intense lighting of the tunnel she noted his hair was spiked up, a good two inches longer then Marcus' cropped hair, barely short enough to be considered clipped at all. His sun-tanned skin was darker then most of their's by four or five shades, not nearly as complementary on him as it was Marcus or John. Volker's face was also more angular; high cheek bones and a square jaw.

 _Marcus looks better_ , she thought smugly. To her, Marcus definitely out did him in the looks department. It was obvious he was considered a pretty face, but Volker had nothing on Marcus Wright's alluring features.

His satirical voice cut off her internal monologue. "To the main base, Cathal will want to meet _all_ of you."

She caught the key word. So John Connor and Kyle Reese where not the only people of interest in the group?

"Who is Cathal?" The question came from Marcus, who looked weary about the whole state of affairs.

"One of the leaders we have."

_One? How many could there possibly be?_

She too was starting to feel less and less comfortable in the confines of the metallic glinting channel. How the resistance here had managed to carve passageways underground then install metal support beams and iron looking walls around what she assumed was dirt and rock was beyond her comprehension, but from the looks of the elaborate layout, it must have taken sometime to set up. Even more interestingly, where did all the resources for the tunnels come from?

Blair being curious voiced her question. The expression on Volker's face was what she would describe as being pleasantly surprise and hauteur at her inquiry. _They're proud of their accomplishments._ That much was evident enough by the huge stupid grin on his face.

"Some of these tunnels have been here before the rise of the machines. They were used in ways similar to what you American's once used and referred to as 'The Underground Railroad'… only the tunnels take on the more literal meaning of that phrase. They were also used during times of war and political turmoil. No one ever thought to look beneath the rainforest or some of its magnificent waterfalls, it's clever really."

"So they were utilized before the world went to hell in a hat basket. They seem to be kept in good condition, and they look almost brand new," Blair offered, careful to keep her voice mildly interested.

Volker didn't appear affected by the curiosity or the fact that they were asking numerous questions about the place and how the resistance there operated. "Ironically enough, a good portion of the tunnels were restored right before Skynet appeared, leaving only a few of them left for the resistance to repair. It is true we like to keep our facilities – the tunnels included – clean…. We appreciate what we have and like to maintain it – we get better life expectancy as you can imagine."

"Were these tunnels ever used to smuggle drugs or illegal substances… maybe even weapons?" Marcus asked.

The question caught Blair off guard. Judging by the staggered expression on Kate's face, she was just as shocked by the question as Blair was. When she did think about it, Blair noted that Marcus was being rather astute, guessing that the tunnels were used for such things was not only an obvious and likely possibility, but the fact that he thought it meant that Marcus was probably good at putting two and two together _–_ basic logic and statistics.

Volker acted amused. She was willing to bet that he was either ashamed of the truth or irritated by the question for some other reason that she could not fathom. _Point one – Marcus._

"I suppose that information isn't really relevant but yes, drugs and illegal substances and weapons have been transported through here in the past."

Blair noted the way Volker grudgingly answered. _That's what I thought. The question hit a nerve._

"You were vague before. Are there many tunnels? And how long and large are they on average?" she asked, watching Volker go from glaring at Marcus to smiling at her.

"Yes, there are a lot. The number is irrelevant, but there is enough to get permanently lost in if you aren't careful," he answered ominously.

_So someone got lost before and starved to death or something? Charming._

"Most span no longer then two miles. On average, most stop and split into different tunnels before even one mile, much like intersections on a road. They also could abruptly stop and lead to a building or to the outside. The tunnels are normally about fifteen feet wide and nine feet tall," he explained.

"You walk through all the tunnels? Isn't that a little time consuming?" Kyle butted in.

"No," Volker replied simply.

"No to what question?" Blair asked. "The walking or the time consuming?"

"Both. We only walk the short tunnels. Longer ones we have other methods of transportation for."

"And these _other methods of transportation_ are?" Marcus asked, sounding a bit annoyed. Blair couldn't blame him; their guide was ambiguous about everything.

"All-terrain vehicles and Jeeps," Volker said stiffly.

Blair couldn't help herself; another question was out before she even thought it through. "You have Jeeps down here?"

"Yes. They aren't monster trucks if that is what you are inferring."

 _Oh yes, because nothing is more manly then riding through a secret tunnel – while hiding from the enemy –_ _in_ _a truck with ridiculously over sized tires and a nauseating paint job._ Blair's burlesque thoughts were less then cordial, and it was a struggle to keep them only thoughts. Their guide was already making her skin crawl with distaste and they had known him for a total of fifteen minutes. _God, I'm sorry for my sins, but_ why _must you torture me with_ this _imbecile?_

"So are we _walking_ the whole way?" Kate was now getting annoyed as well – speaking through clenched teeth. "My husband can't handle too much activity; it's detrimental to his health."

Volker smiled sweetly. "Of course. The dock for some of the vehicles is coming up… in about two more minutes. We can ride the rest of the way."

Blair rolled her eyes and kept her pace besides Kate, who was eyeing her husband with a worried expression. She glanced from Kate to the men in front of them. Blair knew her eyes should have been on Connor – fretting over his health, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Marcus, not even if she wanted to. His dazzling bronze hair had hues of ginger and gold swirled into the color scheme. She hadn't noticed before. Was it the lighting of the tunnel or her just being unobservant before? Either way, his hair was breathtaking. She longed to run her hands through the cropped strands and see if it was either bristly or soft.

During the time she spent ogling over Marcus – more or less drooling would be a more appropriate way to explain her infatuation – she had neglected to notice that he had been observing her out of the corner of his clear blue orbs. It wasn't until they arrived at a section of the channel where the walls widened, offering a turn around where four different vehicles where parked, that she realized he was watching her as well. Self-consciously she blinked twice then averted her eyes to the right, where the three all-terrain vehicles and one Jeep were stationed, ready and waiting.

"Here we are!" Volker exclaimed gratuitously.

 _Yes, yes. We see the damn things._ Blair huffed to herself, watching Marcus and Barnes carefully load John into the back of the Jeep, Kate, Barnes, Kyle, and Star – who sat on Kyle's lap – joining him along with Volker who took the diver's side. _At least_ I _don't have to deal with him for a while._

Phil and one of the resistance members she wasn't yet familiar with from the rescue jumped onto the nearest four wheeler. Lilly and the other stranger accompanying them took possession of the third mode of transportation, leaving one last four wheeler for her and Marcus to share.

She had mixed feelings on this turn of events. Blair got her chance to be with Marcus, to enjoy his presence – and get a chance to be close enough to take in his warm, delicious smell. Oddly, Marcus' scent was that of the open air right before the rain came – thick and refreshing. It was soothing, being able to smell that peculiar scent from the sunshine and the world outside. Half the time she was locked away in some musky facility that reeked of mold and poor hygiene.

The dilemma Blair was having was that Marcus and herself had not left their last conversation or encounter off on a good note, and the time before that they nearly kissed but ended up being interrupted by Kyle. Awkwardness was corporeal between them. She so badly yearned for his touch, even if it was just their arms brushing. In this new and unfamiliar environment his presence was like her life preserver as she struggled to keep her head above the rising tide. At the same time, he didn't seem to return those sentiments… or at least half the time he didn't. Marcus was sending mixed signals which had Blair discombobulated and beleaguered to keep up with his mood swings.

"Think you can hang on?" he asked, pulling her from her turmoil thoughts.

* * *

The staggered protean expression that crossed Blair's face was comical. She looked chagrined, perplexed, and satisfied – one emotion flowing seamlessly into the other.

"I _think_ I can handle myself," she jibed.

Without hesitation he threw his leg over the side of the vehicle – straddling the front of the seat, and turned to look over his shoulder at her expectantly.

Chagrin was the emotion that finally won out. Blair crossed her arms and arched a delicate eyebrow at him. "I am completely capable of driving, you know?"

"I know," he replied tersely.

Marcus watched as Blair came to stand beside him, her own face now expectant. This caused him to lift the corner of his mouth up in a sinister crooked smile. "I said I didn't doubt your operating skills, not that I would let you demonstrate them." He then tilted his head to the seat behind him. "Get on. You can drive next time."

Blair pursed her lips in thought. "I'm holding you to that."

 _You better_ , he thought smugly as she reluctantly took her place behind him. Marcus had his own personal reasons for being pleased with the turn of events. He could be with Blair without making it look too conspicuous about his feelings regarding her, and he got to have her – including her curves – pressed up against him. The idea of Blair flushed adjacent to his back was intoxicating.

_Highlight of my day… so far._


	7. Chapter 7

_Just a little longer, please?_

Every second was precious. There was no way to know when they would be together like this again. With so much to do and learn about in the rainforest resistance, there was no telling when Blair and himself would have a chance to talk, and hopefully he would find a way to admit his feelings towards her if he did find a minute, let alone be in each others' presence long enough to do so.

The main problem for Marcus was manning up enough to admit to his desires to be more intimate with her. Rejection was a daunting possibility. Daunting may not have even been the correct word. Paralyzing or suicidal were terms he would more agreeably affiliate with the ideology of telling Blair the truth about the reasons behind some of the decisions he made, out of what he now thought were misguided attempts to show affection.

Admitting his feelings could produce a wrath and or sickening scorn from her. Would she be disgusted that a _machine_ wanted a relationship? Would Blair run from him? If she did, could he bring himself to stop her? He _wanted_ her, but he also wanted her _happiness_. Perhaps the thought that Blair and himself could hold a future together as something beyond the scope of friends or colleagues was too ambitious of him? He had to acknowledge the idea that Blair would be happy with him was a long shot.

Sighing, he shook the thoughts from his head, focusing on driving the four wheeler. He was just short of putting all of his brain power into concentrating on the present, and not on her.

Marcus knew that they would be reaching their destination soon, giving him all the more reason to cling to the moment. Blair had her lean arms wrapped around his mid-section, tantalizing body pressed to his back, with her warm moist breath blowing on the back of his neck – saturating a few of the bristle hairs that resided there.

The entire scenario was euphoric, for him at least. He couldn't be sure the feeling was mutual. Marcus had no way to see her face to gage her response to him, and Blair's body language was limited due to her having to hold onto him as they sped down a large metallic tunnel – behind a black Jeep that had five of the surviving members from the California branch of the resistance.

The vehicle ahead of them had not slowed yet, but seemed to occasionally speed up. Maybe they weren't as close as he initially thought they were. Then again, this Volker character seemed like a bit of a wild card. Trying to guess his thoughts and actions was like staring at a brick wall and guessing when it would finally fall or crumble away, only the wall didn't flirt with the object of his interest, therefore the brick wall was more likeable… and preferred. Marcus could plausibly apply the same sentiment to Volker's driving, random and consistently inconsistent.

 _For cripes sake! Has this guy ever heard of cruise control?_ Judging by the way he drove, the answer was an obvious no.

A long drawn-out breath blowing against the back of his neck snapped Marcus out of his cryptic thoughts of Volker, and returned them to Blair. She had just rested her chin on his shoulder, causing a tingling sensation to form where she touched him. He let his head reflexively twitch in her direction, his eyes darting to her face for a brief moment.

In that flash of four seconds he saw of Blair's face, he caught her subtly winking at him. Stiffening for a moment in her arms, he let the scene run over in his head. He almost thought he imagined it, until he caught her smirking out of the corner of his eye. _That little tease!_

Loosening his tense muscles, he let his shoulders slacken and a small smile linger on his lips. Two could play at that game, and he had every intention of winning it.

Normally he would have dealt out his retaliation swiftly, but the malicious idea of dragging it out was appealing. Besides, the moment was too nice to ruin with a wicked comeback. So Marcus settled on letting the gesture slide for now.

When he let his thoughts run their usual course – always leading back to Blair – he found himself questioning his self-doubt. Past events didn't add up to the conclusion that Blair saw him as a machine or anything shy of human.

She had risked her life to free him from his second death sentence, even after the discovery of his hybrid status. Blair was bold enough to trade coats – it being her idea – so he could escape from the wrath of Connor and the resistance – before he was given a chance to prove his loyalties lied with the humans. She could have been killed acting as his double, and then there was running through the entire cross fire as they tried to make the prison break along with the bomb Barnes dropped on them before they even made it out of the building.

Blair had willingly kissed him when he went to donate his heart to Connor. She almost kissed him again, about two and a half hours ago when they waited for the rescue to arrive. Just now she winked at him and was resting her chin on his shoulder; the motions could easily be taken in a more intimate way. Blair had also asked about his well being on more the one rare occasion.

Maybe the idea of a relationship with Blair was not as farfetched as he thought. She had hinted enough… publicly and privately. He had no trouble with the private moments between them, but it was the public ones that bothered him.

Blair could so easily get shunned for her affiliation with him or worse, put her in danger and under more scrutiny from fellow resistance members. The idea was to keep her happy and safe in his company, not other way around.

 _She is a big girl and can handle herself._ The thought hit a note of truth. Blair could hold her own and she wasn't dimwitted or stupid. She would know what she would be getting into. Still, a public relationship could be tricky between them.

Marcus reflected on her actions towards him – made in the past twenty-four hours. He had caught Blair staring at him a little earlier – prior to their current _thrill ride_. She seemed lost in thought for some time before realizing that he was starting at her too. When she did notice, Blair immediately averted her eyes, like a child caught reaching their hand into a cookie jar; her face had looked guilty. Before that, she had openly asked him if he was alright in front of a number of strangers, her body far too close to be considered a display of _friendly_ concern.

Blair didn't seem to have a problem with public displays of affection – PDA's was what everyone abbreviated it as back when he was in high school. When he thought about it like that, it made the whole thing feel like some dumb crush or high school sweetheart thing.

His very being cringed at the idea of his emotions being noting more than a crush; it was more, much more. What he felt for Blair was not some summer romance or spring fling. He felt a connection to her that went beyond the cliché of finishing the other's sentence, but finishing the other as a person. She made him feel… _complete_.

 _As complete as a cyborg can be,_ he thought darkly.

She certainly was not afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve either. Marcus was more cautious with his approach to things; Blair followed what her heart said. Granted, that didn't mean she was hotheaded or impulsive, but that she knew what she wanted. This brought them to the impasse they were at.

Neither of them was going to budge on how to go about their beliefs. Marcus was adamant that if he did ever find the chance to own up to his feelings to her that they would keep the relationship on the down low. Blair would probably want to screw it and just go about their lives, not caring what the hell the other resistance members thought. The idea was appealing, but held more possible cons then it did pros.

_Don't jump the gun. You still aren't_ _one hundred_ _percent sure she feels the same, yet._

He could be misreading the signs or reading too much into them. That was always a possibility, unfortunately.

Marcus was mauling over the idea of making time to talk to Blair about all of this when a flash of red alerted him that the Jeep about nine feet in front of him was slowing to a stop.

Hitting the breaks, they came to a smooth stop on the right side of the vehicle. The other two groups in the four-wheelers mimicking Marcus' tactic of pulling over to the right shoulder.

Killing the engine he turned to look at Blair who had a puzzled look on her face. She knew no more then he did. Her chin lifted off of his shoulder and she returned his stare with a level one of her own.

"Think we finally arrived at… wherever we're going?" he asked conversationally.

Shrugging she smirked at him. "Maybe. Let's hope for Connor and Kate's sake that we are."

Murmuring his agreement he flicked his eyes to the black Jeep besides them, hoping to be given a signal or something that would indicate what was going on. The only thing he could catch was Volker turning the Jeep off and jumping out of the driver's side, disappearing from his line of sight.

Connor, still stationed in the backseat, looked over to them. "He's going to get some medical help and more escorts."

" _Why_?" Blair asked.

"I started bleeding on the drive here. Kate thinks I over did it," he explained with a detached tone. His mask of indifference was almost perfect. Marcus was fooled for a moment, thinking that John actually wasn't irritated by these turn of events until he caught the annoyance that flashed briefly in his brown eyes before dissipating as well.

The ginger head of Kate Connor could be seeing bobbing up and down as she fervently worked to try and help clot the blood flow that was coming from John's chest.

Marcus grimaced as he recalled what Kate had told him about John's procedure he had done – something to do with the rejuvenating of his body's skin cells and skin graph's use on to save Connor's life.

Had the operation failed?

 _No, Kate wouldn't be sitting there so calmly_ , he concluded. _The wound probably just opened slightly from all the activities… he did live through a plane crash._

Blair must have been thinking along the same lines has him, for she relaxed her strangled hold around his stomach, allowing him to more deeply breath again. Marcus had not noticed the death lock Blair's arms had made around his adman until it was gone and oxygen was freely flowing back into his system.

"He'll be fine. Kate won't let him leave us just yet," he offered, trying to use the most soothing voice he had.

Kate must have heard him, because her voice rang out clear with conviction, "Damn straight!"

Kyle chuckled and demounted from his seat with Star – both had been riding shotgun. Barnes also exited the vehicle when help came.

Three men in white lab coats arrived, helping Connor onto a stretcher. Kate and Barnes both stayed on either side of him as he was wheeled away. Phil was also taken away for more proper medical assistance as well, leaving Blair, Kyle, Lilly, Marcus, and Star left.

Volker reappeared to guide them in after the others were gone. A cheerful smile was dancing across his dark lips. Marcus wondered how anyone could find anything remotely uplifting about such a morbid circumstance as they were in. _Why the hell is he smiling?_

Blair once again must have been following his thought process because she grumbled something about Volker being obsessively happy for the moment, then added another tidbit about him being intentionally antagonistic. He agreed. Their guide seemed to find the most awkward and inappropriate times to smile and shrug things off. If Volker wasn't being jolly at a socially gauche time then he was being spiteful and indistinct when supplying information that could prove useful.

"Think we'll get lucky enough that we won't run into him again after they relieve him of babysitting duty?" Blair muttered in his ear conspiratorially.

Marcus couldn't help the smirk that twitched a corner of his lip up at the thought. Hey, a guy could dream. Probability said that because Volker was getting to know the new resistance members first, he would logically be given work to do with them again… which was rather unfortunate. Marcus was sure that if the blonde kept up his irksome charade then he couldn't be held accountable for when Volker finally got his comeuppance.

The idea of the guide receiving retribution was a pleasing one. The thought didn't last long due to them being herded into the mini tunnel off to the side of the larger one they were in – it was more like a grand hallway – which Connor and the others had disappeared down moments before. His attention was riveted on the large white doors they were approaching.

The hallway was cylinder-like, with horizontal steel blue and black stripes coloring the arching walls and silver metal railings on either side. Walking through it made him feel a little dizzy, nauseated almost. Whether it was the paint job or how the strip of walls and ceiling were fashioned he didn't know. Might very well have been a combination of the two.

He glanced at Blair, noting that she looked aberrantly pale. Kyle wasn't looking much better then he felt either, appearing quite extremely queasy.

The sensation causing him to be woozy was what he would have thought as motion sickness or the feeling he use to get – when he was all human – when he stood up to fast; vertigo. Neither of those conditions should apply to him here; he had already been walking and standing up right.

 _What the hell is wrong with me?_ He flicked his eyes to Volker, who appeared unfazed by the hallway.

Blair suddenly lurched by his side to grapple for the railing. She threw herself at it, wrapping her arms around the metal, resting her elbows on top with her forehead pressed to some of the shiny material. She crouched, wobbling a little as she did so, to rest.

"Bl-air?" His voice sounded strange, even to him.

"…Ugh!" was her only reply.

Volker seemed to finally take notice that the five people he was to be escorting were lagging behind severely. He turned to look over his shoulder at them and stared in blunt confusion for a few moments at the scene before him.

Kyle was wobbling a few baby steps at a time with Star clinging to his leg for support. Lilly was about two feet in front of Kyle, one hand on the railing with the other on her stomach, her body slanting at an awkward sideways angle that suggested she was struggling to right herself once more. Blair had a death grip on the railing and was crouching down, hunched over with her head pressed against the cool metal – she was about parallel to Lilly across the hallway. Marcus was besides Blair, the only one standing up straight and not wobbling or struggling for support.

Marcus could guess what Volker was thinking, but made no attempt to speak unless it was necessary. Volker stared at all of them for a few immeasurable moments, dumbstruck, and clearly he was not sure what to make of the turn of events until a light flicked on and he slowly approached them.

"My apologies, I forgot that newcomers often times take a while to adjust to the new surroundings. No worries though; the gestation period is no more then two weeks." His voice was sugary and innocent.

_Bastard! He's getting a kick out of this._

Blair stuttered out, "T- t- _two_ … w- wee… weeks?"

Her head snapped up to properly glare at Volker but the motion proved to be too much and she dropped her head quickly, shuttering and rocking from side to side a little.

Marcus caught him chuckling at her and the sudden urge to beat that sneer off his face pulled at his resolve to disregard Volker as much as possible. What he wouldn't give for a more proper reason to have to throw the autocrat against the nearest wall and punch a few teeth out.

"Ignore him. Close your eyes, it might help," he instructed Blair.

She grumbled unintelligibly before nodding subtly in agreement. Closing her beautiful hazel eyes she gripped the railing like her life depended on it, her knuckles turning white from the force she used to hold the metal. Pulling herself up onto her feet, she stood, lacking her usual grace, but she managed to stand. That had to be a good sign.

Kyle and Lilly followed Blair's example, righting themselves and pressing on with Marcus and Volker acting as visual guides.

Blair occasionally would stumble. Marcus was right at her side, catching her and steadying her before she would be released to make her way once more. It carried on like that for about two minutes until they reached the end of the long hallway and all five of them fumbled into a white rectangular path – it was what a real hallway should have looked like, to Marcus.

_Do they do these things for fun or is there some_ _sick, twisted purpose for all of this?_

* * *

"What is the reason for _those_ kinds of hallways?" she asked, fighting to keep irritation out of her voice.

Volker, who had been sizing up Marcus with mild curiosity, turned his attention onto her. A sweet smile spread across his face as he leered at her or her question she wasn't sure.

"They serve for a few purposes. Some of them you might not yet be able to appreciate, but one of the reasons has to do with where we are in relation to the surface of the earth. Right now, we are about one story underground."

_That didn't answer my question, at all!_

Blair huffed to herself and glanced to her right to see Marcus glowering at Volker, his jaw line was tense, locked in place, arms crossed over his chest.

She gave pause to her annoyed thoughts as she imagined those muscled arms opening up and creating an affectionate snare around her waist. Blair let her mind wander to thoughts of her head resting against his chest, listening to his heart beat, his breath blowing in her face —

Marcus cut her train of thought short as he reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder, jostling her lightly. "Blair?"

"Hmm…?"

"You alright? We're moving on," he answered, traces of his worry for her etched on his handsome face.

"Yeah, I was just thinking."

He arched a questioning eyebrow but said nothing further. Lifting an arm, he gestured for her to proceed after the fading form of Volker.

The two quickly caught up to the others, striding down the hallway side-by-side, their arms occasionally brushing against the other.

Whenever they did make accidental contact, her heart would nearly leap out of her chest. An electric current seemed to flow through her veins as her fingertips touched Marcus'. The feeling of his skin against hers nearly sent her over the edge, into a blissful stupor.

Marcus acted like he felt nothing, and ignored the unintended contact completely. Blair was growing frustrated with his detachment as they neared the final set of large double doors, leading to what she presumed to be the main control room or wherever the heads of the operation normally resided.

She was just about to give up on glancing at Marcus' face for a reaction when she felt a warm breath on the back of her neck. Turning her head slightly, she looked up to see Marcus looming behind her, his face an inch from her own. The close proximity caused her heart to pick back up again in tempo; she could hear her pulse in her ears — it was so loud.

Volker, Kyle, Lilly, and Star all had their backs to them as they reached the door, none of the four catching the brief moment that stunned Blair into awed silence. Marcus leaned forward a little further and planted a feathery kiss on her temple, his lips tenderly brushing against her skin, and then, all too soon, he pulled away.

Her mouth just about hit the floor when he winked one of his blue eyes at her, his smirk perfectly mimicking the crooked one she had given him on the four-wheeler no more then seven minutes ago. He then gently placed a hand on the small of her back, pushing her towards the door, her breath hitched as he did so.

"Come on Blair, we can't fall behind." His voice was calm, indifferent.

She examined his face as they stepped beyond the threshold, into a large, round room. Marcus had a flawless poker face on, detached like nothing ever transpired between them. He was good — too good.

Turning her attention away from him, she glanced around the room. It was filled with control councils filled with switches and blinking lights, a few desks, which people sat at, and the middle of the room was open area where a large, round, mahogany wood table was set. The trim work was for the office-looking room was also of mahogany, the color of the walls a warm cranberry color.

Blair blinked, surprised by what they just walked into. Judging by the bewildered look on Kyle and Lilly's face, she was not the only one clueless as to where they were.

"This is the main control room, where all the meetings and plans are usually talked over," Volker explained.

He then nodded towards a small man that was approaching them; stiffening his posture and more properly greeting his superior before introducing them. "And this is Cathal Falkland."

Cathal was no more then an inch taller then Blair, probably standing at five-foot-ten or five-foot-eleven. His short, vibrant, ginger hair was styled into a messy disarray, about two inches longer then Marcus' cropped hair. His eyes were a deep mossy green, wide and honest. A gentle smile graced his pale pink lips. Blair guessed he was around the age of thirty, but she couldn't tell for sure.

He held out his hand, shaking each of their own in turn as they introduced themselves.

Unlike Volker, Cathal was more direct and to the point, making sure to not leave out important tidbits of information when he explained about how their operations worked. He also seemed more sincere, not stuck up or haughty like Volker.

"I'm one of three heads that leads this resistance. I'm the General that works mostly with the operations involving aircrafts or planes of any form. You could conclude that I'm the one that handled rescue that has brought you here." His perfect English was fluent, but held hints of what she thought was an Irish brogue.

"Now it has come to my attention that your leader, John Connor, and a few others aren't in attendance with you. There is no need to worry; he is being attended to as we speak. According to what he has told me, and from what I can infer, all of you are probably exhausted and would like to rest.

"I had some rooms prepared for you before your arrival. You will all meet back up for breakfast, and then we can continue the explanations, tour, and answer any questions you might have. The other two leaders will meet you in good time — I'm sure you can imagine that we are a little busy."

Cathal glanced to Volker, his green eyes running up and down the other man appraisingly. "You're released of duty for now. I'll see them to their rooms."

Volker stiffened, saluted, and then tore out of the room like the building was on fire. His less than subtle exit was amusing. Whatever had him running would have been the highlight of her day. Marcus' discreet peck from earlier had already stolen the top best thing to happen.

Shaking off those thoughts, Blair then began pondering why Volker took off. When she looked over to Cathal, he was noticeably in a brighter mood. _They probably don't see eye to eye._

She liked Cathal more and more. From the looks of it, the new resistance members weren't the only ones that had poor encounters from the man, and Cathal was probably one of the few that could do anything about Volker.

"We aren't imposing on you are we?" Lilly asked politely.

"No. I have to go that way anyways. Might as well be productive," he assured.

Gesturing for them to follow, Cathal led them out and to the left of the room, taking a few rights and lefts from time to time as they made their way through the labyrinth of hallways and tunnels, twisting and turning or dead ending.

Blair thought she felt like a lab rat at one point. Blindly walking through passage after passage, having not a clue where she was going, just that she was supposed to find one thing, and instead of it being an object, (cheese) it was a room… to sleep in.

Kyle was getting impatient. He sighed and grunted every so often, careful to be loud enough so they could all hear his frustration.

Just when she was about ask if Cathal had any clue where the hell they were going, he abruptly stopped, and waved to the door to his left. "This is a room that can hold two people."

Kyle and Star were given the room, seeing as they were both the youngest and should be accommodated to first.

The second room caused them to give pause. Blair wanted to be with Marcus, but he didn't seem to want to give any hints away about anything he might feel towards her, and Lilly was another female, so she could see how it would make sense for them to double up. Still, her entire being was screaming to stay with Marcus.

"I'll take the last room for myself. I can share it with Barnes or Phil when they come back to rest," Lilly offered well naturedly.

Blair threw the other woman a grateful glance. Lilly nodded, a small smile on her dark red lips. Her light brown hair, cut at shoulder length, bounced with her as she flitted to the room across the hall from them.

Marcus opened his mouth to protest but quickly shut it when she glared at him, effectively ending any argument they might get into before it could even start.

He followed her in; shutting the door behind him as he nonchalantly walked over to one of the single beds and flopped down. Blair watched as he stretched then settled into a comfortable position on his back with his head resting on the pillow – propped up at a angle, his hands folded serenely over his stomach with his ankles crossed at the foot of the bed.

 _How do you tell if he is asleep?_ she thought absentmindedly. Marcus' breathing was naturally slow and rhythmic. If there was a difference between his breathing when he was conscious or not, then it was too subtle for her eyes.

She had settled into her own bed, lying on her left side, watching Marcus in his slumber, or she thought he was sleeping until he spoke. "Something wrong?"

Blair was shocked for a moment, freezing up and mentally trying to figure out what he just said while attempting to guess if he was sleep-talking or really awake. She couldn't tell; his eyes were still closed, never once fluttering, and he hadn't moved an inch.

"N- no. Why would you ask that?"

He lifted one lazy eyelid to peer at her. "You keep staring at me like you've never seen someone sleep before."

Blair blinked, staring at him for a few moments, and then shrugged it off. "It's just you said you don't always have to sleep. I was wondering how I was supposed to tell when you do need sleep, and how to tell when you are sleeping… no offense, but you're always so calm, it's difficult to know."

It was Marcus' turn to stare at her. Blair thought she saw a flash of relief in his eyes, but couldn't figure out why that emotion would be there. What did he think she would be thinking? Before she could contemplate that question, he answered it for her.

"You weren't just trying to tell if I'm asleep because I'm… a _machine_?"

* * *

Blair's brow furrowed in disgust at the word machine, and she pursed her lips.

"No. Why the hell would I be thinking _that_?" she asked bitingly, like the question somehow offended her.

 _Well… that's a relief… I think._ That confirmed what he thought earlier; Blair saw him as what he still thought as himself – a man, a human being.

"I don't know. I have no way of knowing what you think," he admitted truthfully.

Opening both eyes he turned his head to more properly look at her. As always, her beautiful olive-toned face framed with dark brunette curls never ceased to cheer his somber mood. What was it about her that made him just want to be _happy_?

She suddenly asked, "Would you like to know what I think?"

Marcus kept a straight face, but nodded his head yes.

"Well then we're even," she smirked at him.

"Huh…? What? How are we even?"

"I want to know what you think too. You're opinion is important to me," she explained, almost like the information should be as obvious as the fact that the sun would rise.

What was he suppose to say to that? Her frankness had caught him off guard, again. It was similar in some ways to the night they shared at the track. Blair had been open, willingly trying to get closer, although that was a more physical maneuver then the one she just laid out now.

"Blair...?"

"Yeah?" Her voice sounded apprehensive.

Why was she anxious? Marcus mauled over the possible answer for a moment until he realized that he had not made a comment on her last statement yet. She was plausibly thinking he was about to say something morbid about that topic. _Clarify yourself; don't say something stupid that could have an innuendo you aren't aware of._

"Can I ask you a question?"

She blinked, visibly confused by this turn they had taken in the conversation, but nodded her head and went along with it anyway. Curiosity blazed in her tawny eyes, and her body was tense like she expected a harsh reprisal.

Marcus had been thinking this question over and over again, and he had found his personal answer to it had changed a great deal since the first time he had asked Blair. He had wrestled over her original response many a time as well, and he was both intrigued and terrified of what her answer was now.

Staring her dead in the eye, he asked, "Do you still believe in second chances?"

Blair seemed to lose her anxiety once she understood where his mood had taken him. Whatever she had been thinking was coming must have been a lot worse then what he did ask – which begged the question, what had she been thinking he would say? The question was left unanswered when she supplied another answer to an unasked question as well as the intended one.

She replied without missing a beat, "Of course! If anything, you're the perfect testament to that…. I also still believe you're a good man. Marcus, you've done well, no one should have the right to question your loyalties or motives. You've earned a second chance, and as far as I'm concerned, you've already redeemed yourself five times over."

That was… not what he had expected her to say. He had braced fir something less accepting. Not that he minded, but her answer had literally knocked the breath out of him for a moment. Marcus did a double take, and stared at Blair, his lips parted slightly, frozen how they were when she had replied.

After he got over the initial shock of her answer, he found a strange new feeling bubbling up inside, threatening to over flow. At first, he couldn't put a name to it; it had been so long since he experienced the emotion. Finally, after the name teased the tip of his tongue, he found it; contentment.

He opened his mouth to say something but no words came. After staring at her for a few more inerasable moments of stunned silence, he closed his mouth and turned his attention towards the ivory ceiling once more, his head resting flat on his pillow again.

The silence between them wasn't awkward or uncomfortable, but quite the contrary. Marcus was satisfied with leaving it at that for now. What he had found out from Blair was more then reassuring that her opinion of him was anything but negative or bitter.

Marcus had been worried for a while. He had openly displayed affection towards her – kissing her on the temple earlier. Generally he wouldn't have condoned such openness, and probably wouldn't do such a rash thing for a long time, but Blair had looked so dejected and crestfallen. Her preliminary reaction had been of astonishment, then utter bewilderment when he winked. He had not caught the rest of her reaction due to her putting on a politely disconnected pretense.

If she wanted to raise hell with him or had been disgusted with his actions, she would have called him out on it by now. Blair didn't beat around the bush; she knew what she wanted and obviously what she didn't want. So the kiss was fine, or she was going to let it slide for now. Either way, he would find out in good time.

Neither of them found the time or strength to continue the conversation further. Both were dead beat. Marcus was sure Blair was first to slip into a deep slumber, he could recall hearing her breathing evening out. He had listened to her inhalation rush in and out in time to his slowing heart beat for what he thought was a few seconds before he too slipped away into a light doze.


	8. Chapter 8

A pounding on the door woke Blair from her peaceful sleep. The sound of shoes scraping against the cement floor could be heard just behind the far wall where the banging was coming from. Combine those two sounds together and the product is the Amazon Resistance after what she would describe as a silence at night that could rival a graveyard.

Blair was reluctant to let the last of her dreams slip away into the corner of her mind where they would be forgotten as the day progressed. Hopefully, the dream of Marcus wrapping his arms around her, trapping her waist in an affectionate snare would visit her once again. That dream could come as many times as it pleased. The one of Volker being a serial killer and the terminators winning the war, not so much.

Swinging her legs around to the edge of the bed, she pushed off to stand. After stretching her arms skywards Blair ambled over to the thick heavy metal door, throwing it open to come face to face with a tired looking Kate Connor.

"Kate..?" Her voice sounded dry as it cracked on the 'K'.

She smiled, not looking repentant at all as she said, "Sorry to wake you two, but its time to get up. We're meeting up in front of John's and my room around the corner in fifteen minutes."

Watching Kate point in the direction of her room then slip away to wake the others, Blair did not realize Marcus had come to stand behind her until she pivoted on her heels and crashed into him. When she pulled away, to see what or rather who she had bumped into, Blair came eye to chest with him.

Had it been anyone else, she would have passionately voiced her annoyance and then proceeded to lecture about eavesdropping and respecting personal space. When she looked up to Marcus' eyes to give him an earful, she opened her mouth but nothing came out. The vibrant oceans of blue stunned her into an awed silence, drowning her resolve in their depth.

_That's one ocean I wouldn't mind drowning in._

Marcus had his arms crossed over his chest, the muscles straining in them. His face was weary, a guarded look coming into his eye. Jaw set.

All she could do was ogle at the marvelous creature before her. Blair absentmindedly contemplated the saying 'a picture worth a thousand words.'

He was indeed a sight to behold in the morning. His copper-bronze hair ruffled – as ruffled as his cropped hair could be, azure eyes glimmering in the gloom, and the small stubble visible along his jaw looked like it could be five o'clock shadow in a few short hours.

"I know I'm a bit out of date, but I'm sure staring is still considered rude." His deep voice rumbled quietly, with an edge of humor alleviating the tension.

Blair opened her mouth to challenge him with a witty comeback but found she could not bring herself to say anything.

_What is he doing to me?_

Marcus arched an eyebrow quizzically at her actions, expecting her to speak no doubt. After a few moments he pursed his lips in thought, and then preceded to uncross his arms and reach out to her. His callused hand glided under her chin, softly creasing the skin there as he closed her gaping mouth.

"Shouldn't we be getting ready to meet up with the others?" he offered, obviously trying to get her back on track.

Her voice came out distant as she said, "Yeah, we should… get ready… to… to go."

He had his usual indifferent expression on, tugging at her curiosity of what was really going on behind those blue eyes and carefully crafted façade of leisure. Was he aware of the effect he had on her? Or was Marcus capable of being unintentionally charismatic and cryptic simultaneously?

There must have been a rather lengthy pause that she was unaware of, because an awkward feeling was making itself known when she broke through her thoughtfulness. Marcus took a step back before turning his back to her and walking over to his bed. Settling down there, he laced up his boots, effectively ignoring her negligence.

Shaking it off, Blair approached her own bed, throwing on her boots and shrugging on her favorite black leather jacket. She then walked over to the mirror hanging on the wall directly opposite of the door. Her reflection revealed an exhausted looking Blair Williams with scruffy hair that was matted and frizzed out to a volume that made the nineteen-eighties look tame.

After debating for several long moments over if it would do any good to attempt to quell the mess of hair or just give up and let it be, she gave into her habits of wanting to appear as presentable as possible and started raking her long fingers through the dark tufts with disdain.

_I had to have long hair. Nice Williams, really nice._

* * *

It took some time, but eventually Marcus managed to drag Blair to the meeting spot just outside the Connor's door. Due to Blair meticulously combing her unruly hair – and being unusually flustered that morning – they were a little late, the fact that everyone else was waiting for them was a not-so-subtle indicator.

The Connors stood side by side. John looked like his usual stoic self; a frown coloring his face. Kate had an indulgent smile on hers. And Kyle was being, well… Kyle, pacing in circles with Star standing idly by, watching him curiously.

Barnes was glaring with unashamed resentment at Blair and himself. No, he would be a fool to think that. Barnes was glaring solely at him. It was obvious Barnes didn't try to mask his distaste for Marcus, but the way the other man acted, one would think Marcus was still the enemy.

Lilly was poised between Star and Phil. An amused smile was pulling the corner of her lips up as she watched Kyle attempt to wear a hole in the ground. Phil was fiddling with a pocketknife, flipping it up in the air and catching the handle in two smooth flicks of his wrist, undoubtedly well practiced at the game of knife juggling.

_I would question their sanity, but then I would be asking a question I really wouldn't want to know the answer to._

"It took you long enough!" Kyle beat Connor to the punch as the older man opened his mouth to speak.

"Blair had some… technical difficulties." Marcus answered simply.

Kyle stopped his pacing and stared at them, blinking twice as he appraised Blair more closely. Satisfied with the explanation or with what he saw, Kyle shrugged, letting it slide.

"So, why are we here?" the inquiry coming from Blair.

Kyle gave a wise-guy reply, "Would you like the philosophical answer or the biological one?"

"As appealing as discussing religion and breeding sounds – I think she meant _why did we meet here_." Marcus clarified.

"We're here because it is breakfast time, and because we still have a lot of touring and learning to do today." John finally got a word in, this time beating the overly enthusiastic Kyle to it.

Blair sighed, exasperated. "That's all well and good, John, but unless your memory is perfect, I doubt any of us have the slightest clue where the cafeteria might be."

"That is where I come in," a mysterious voice said, without any apparent owner.

Marcus scanned the hallway briefly, not finding anyone else amongst their ranks. That is, until a youthful looking male rounded the nearby corner.

He was roughly five-nine, lean muscled, and his olive-toned skin was a shade darker then Blair's. His eyes were a dark amber color, and he shared a few qualities in facial features similar to Blair as well. Marcus wasn't exactly sure which Asian descent Blair hailed, but whatever her lineage was it looked to be close to that of the new arrival's.

"Xander Fox," he greeted simply, not needing any further preambles. "For all intents and purposes I am your key to work the labyrinth here and make sure you don't _inadvertently kill yourselves_ on your way to breakfast."

 _Smartass. Reminds me of Kegan, though…._ That was a dangerous thought to think. It may have been eighteen years ago that he died, but fifteen of those years Marcus had spent in a state of suspension. To him, Kegan had only just recently passed away. It didn't even feel like three years ago that the man was killed by the shootout between them – his brother, Kegan, and himself – and some police.

He couldn't remember much of his full-human past, but what Marcus could recall was that someone by the name of Kegan had been one of his closest friends next to his baby brother. And, obviously, that he had died in crossfire three years before Marcus had been convicted of killing his brother and two cops.

Blurred memories and fragments of scenes involving his old friend swirled around behind his eyes. Most if not all of them were so fuzzy that comprehending and chronologically ordering them was impossible. The bond he had forged with Kegan and the feelings of companionship were still there, just far off, like Marcus was trying to peer across a foggy lake to see the other side.

Connor reached out and shook hands, introducing himself along with the rest of them, subtly gesturing to each person in turn. When Marcus heard his name mentioned he snapped out of his reverie and focused once more, pushing away the guilt and grief that now plagued him.

"I would ask how your flight here went, but I think we all know the answer to that question." Xander rambled cheerfully as he began to lead them to the cafeteria or wherever it was they were going to eat.

It was sickening. They were all nearly killed – most of the resistance members actually were – and these nut-jobs were all acting like the whole scenario was per usual or wonderful news. _The_ _y're_ _a bunch of psychopaths. Being clinically insane must be the new mental standard._

"You look like you have a question, Marcus is it?" he asked glibly.

"Yeah, I do. Has there been a study conducted yet, pertaining to the direct correlation between the majority of people lacking in their mental competency and the start of the war? A possible side-effect being induced psychotic thoughts…?"

"No. Not yet. That would be an exciting theory to test though." Xander chirped enthusiastically before he started to ramble off random pieces of information on mental health and disorders.

"Did you know there was a study done that said one in every hundred people or so was a sociopath – to some extent?"

_Great. This guy is like a walking encyclopedia, only worse; he can talk._

Kyle then jumped into the conversation, "Should we be worried then?"

Blair, who was walking besides him, turned to face Kyle, "Why would we be worried? Do you know what the scientific definition of a sociopath even is?"

A long pause followed her question before Kyle decided to own up to his own ignorance, "No… not exactly."

Xander appeared to almost prance around a corner, taking a sharp right as he chuckled. He seemed mildly amused by their little entourage and the discussions they had when trying to fill time.

 _I don't think I've ever seen a man_ prance _before. And I don't think I want to see it again. Is he on some happy pill or something? Maybe he is having a nervous breakdown from all the action and battle he has seen…?_

Xander's chuckle reached his ears and Marcus almost shivered at the maniacal way it reverberated in his head. _Nope. He's just crazy._

No one had a chance to properly enlighten Kyle for they reached a large rounded room. Marcus estimated it had to be at least two hundred square feet. The gray tile below their feet looked like linoleum, which matched the off white walls that arched around them.

Compared to the one hallway they had been forced to walk down the day prior, this setting was preferable. Nauseated stomachs were the last thing on his mind; half of the room that was seated at various tables scattered around turned to appraise the new guys. Whatever they saw, it must not have been impressive or very captivating, because within two minutes, everyone had turned back around to continue their conversations as if nothing had happened.

_Maybe high school days are finally over with?_

Xander herded them over to a line where other resistance members were retrieving their morning meals, showing them the typical way of gathering their plate and silverware and picking out the food desired.

Marcus froze when he came to look down at the first offering in the line, oatmeal. Was he supposed to eat the food? He had always eaten before; it was just second nature to follow the others, now he was not so sure he should even be in the line.

_Shit! Serena said nothing about my diet_ _._

He let his mind wander back to his first night with Kyle. The young man had offered three-day-old coyote meat. It had looked disgusting, but had he been hungry enough, Marcus was almost positive he would have wolfed down the food.

That had been the problem at the time. He hadn't been hungry. Marcus dismissed the notion due to stress and culture shock. When he was ready, he had figured food would look appetizing, no matter how horrible it stank or vulgar it appeared.

Only problem with that method was, he had never felt hungry. Even when the old lady offered the basket of carrots, he hadn't felt the urge to dive for them like a starved animal the way Kyle and Star had. The food looked… like anything else, just something to use or look at, not eat.

"Marcus, are you okay?" Kate was standing to his right, waiting patiently for him to move on to the next entrée.

He said nothing for several long seconds as he contemplated a way to signal Kate what he was having problems with before she caught on herself.

"Oh… right. Are you _hungry_?" It was almost funny, the context she used it in was so normal, but the situation it was being applied to was anything but.

"I'm not sure," he muttered lowly as he continued down the line, letting her drop the sloppy mush into a bowl now that it was within her reach.

Marcus focused on the food, testing himself to see if he was having the same reactions as before. His mouth was salivating, but that was a learned behavior imprinted in his human half of the brain. The fact that the food was grosser then his hybrid insides might have been what swayed his judgment as he passed up getting anything.

Screwing up his nose he glared at the food on Kate's plate with mild derision as she sat next to him at a large round table. After sensing he could take no more he adverted his eyes to the faux wood patterns on the countertops, hoping that no one else noticed this little idiosyncrasy.

Xander took up the seat across from him, a ridiculously smug smile on his face. The Asian dug into his food like a starved hyena, devouring it with the same energy he'd used to navigate the confusing hallways earlier.

_Prozac. That's what he needs – Prozac._

* * *

Sitting down on Marcus' other side, Blair registered there was nothing in front of him almost immediately. _Odd._

"You aren't hungry, even a little bit?" she inquired with a fictitious neutral tone.

If anything, she was worried. Blair was far from being indifferent when Marcus was involved. Keeping up the pretense of colleagues was irritating though, but for now she would swallow her selfish desires and focus – which was incomprehensibly difficult when Marcus was causing her to do double-takes every time she looked his way. Maybe she was just so tuned into him she picked up on things others didn't?

"No?" His voice sounded like he was confused about a hard math problem.

 _No? What kind of person answers a question with a question?_ Okay, so she was guilty as charged, but the inquiry had seemed simple enough. How did he not know, _feel_ , if he was hungry? Wasn't that a basic human instinct to sense?

_Oh…._

"Marcus, can you… you know… eat?" she whispered under her breath, hoping that Xander was too preoccupied with his breakfast to hear.

Glancing up at their tour guide before shifting his eyes reluctantly to her, he shrugged.

_What the hell does that mean?_

"I believe that is a yes or no question," she pointed out stupidly.

"I know." His answer was prompt as always.

Blair sighed, pressing once more. "And? Yes or no?"

Marcus had an annoyed expression cross his face only briefly before the emotion was clamped down on, his usual passive mask back in place.

"That is not exactly the easiest question to answer when it involves trying to remember if I even have a stomach." There was ice in his gruff voice, chilling her to the bone.

Clearly, these sorts of topics were still tender subjects. She would have to tread more lightly and bear in mind that Marcus hadn't been given the luxury of time to adjust and come to terms with his new body and life. Acceptance was something he was going to have to find one-way or the other, but now wasn't the time to have that issue surface.

"Am I missing something – important, perhaps?" Xander asked from across the table.

He was observing them curiously with his head propped up by his hand and elbow that was now resting on the tabletop. Questions were burning in his perceptive golden eyes.

"It's not my secret to tell, and I believe it is none of your business." She snapped.

John jumped in then, his voice guarded. "They'll all find out eventually, and I already told the heads about this. We can't keep that knowledge to ourselves, it will seem suspicious. Although you are right Blair, some sensitivity wouldn't hurt."

Both Kyle and herself did a double take. John Connor offering advice with an actual option of ignoring it? _Well damn. I think hell just froze over._

Marcus kept his sea blue eyes trained on Xander. Neither of the men seemed like they were going to give an inch with their facial expressions and tensed bodies. Xander looked intently intrigued while Marcus appeared emotionless and immobile as stone. Both of them had rigid posture, backs slightly arched and their shoulders hunched forward.

 _The universal male sign for dominance and aggression_.

"There is a better time and place for this conversation," Kate came to the rescue.

His lower jaw muscles flexed on his face for a brief moment before Marcus slackened his pose, easing out of his threatening posture that was startlingly intimidating. The difference between his new mood and the later was pliable. He went from opening up and connecting to them, even joking with Xander a few moments before they entered the room, to defensive, and now reserved once more.

_Talk about mood-swings. Is it possible for hybrids to be bipolar?_

Lilly added. "Well, I think breakfast is over with."

"Right, on with the tour, eh?" Xander fished; attempting to diffuse some of the tension he'd helped cause.

John raised his chin fractionally to address their guide, "Where are we going to first?"

"Labs, I want some tests done, just to make sure our safety and security is not compromised."

Everyone spun around to find Cathal standing behind them with another man at his side, dressed in similar green military clothes. The new male was older looking; snow white hair colored the top of his head that was brushed – maybe even slicked – back, and subtle wrinkles were visible around the forehead and laugh lines. They should have been called frown lines now; so few people genuinely smiled or laughed, and if they did their sanity was immediately taken into question.

"We won't lock him up or torture him, so you can stop giving me dirty looks now," he continued, wearing a frown of his own.

"For the good of all of us, I want some X-rays done, to make sure there is not any more tracking or homing devices in him. The last thing we need is Skynet finding our hideout and blowing us all to kingdom come. Besides Connor admitted himself that Marcus probably isn't fully aware of how he works and what his basic needs are. This might give you a chance to answer some questions."

Cathal's logic was not only sound, but flawless. He had had every right to worry and put the rest of the human population first, but the fact that they were treating Marcus like some walking time bomb was pissing her off. Who were they to judge him?

"Mr. Fox, you are the lead scientist and medical expert here, so I'll trust that you will see to Mr. Wright's care?" Cathal quarried.

Xander shrugged nonchalantly, "Of course. Will you be joining us?"

Cathal glanced to his partner, exchanging a look that made Blair shiver and her gut ache. The two men then sized up Marcus, which made her heart almost leap out of her chest it started pounding so hard. What were they planning?

"If Xavier doesn't mind, then I think we will."

A blank look must have been on all of their faces because something lit up behind Cathal's green eyes suddenly.

"How rude of me, I forgot. This is Xavier Corduex, one of the other two leaders that help me run this place. Xavier, this is Blair Williams, Marcus Wright, Kyle Reese, Star, Lilly Monroe, Phil Sanders, and I do believe you already met John and Kate Connor." He pointed to each of them in turn, making sure to give no one person more attention than the other.

"G'day," his voice was deep and it rumbled like thunder off in the distance.

Xavier's straight posture and hulking size were daunting, but his pale blue eyes were gentle, and held authority and wisdom in them. Unlike the men from Command, these leaders seemed to have a more compassionate and connected vibe towards others. Her best guess as to why that was, was they spent every waking minute with their resistance fighters, not locked away in some submarine, isolated from human contact.

"So, to the lab it is!" Xander quipped excitedly from behind all of them.


	9. Chapter 9

A loud slam reverberated off the metallic walls. Moments later the Californian Resistance group was ushered into a capacious square room. All of them were dragging their feet; a few such as Kyle, Connor, and Blair had their fist clenched tight and strained expressions.

Kate moved with a stiff rigidness that was ironically mechanical contrasted with Marcus' fluid movements. It should have been the other way around. They were testing _him_ for being an oblivious infiltrator – which was Skynet's intended purpose when they originally set him lose, and he thought he took care of the problem by ripping out the computer interface in the back of his head; crushing it with his bare hand – not her.

"I don't like this," Blair hissed just low enough for Kate and himself to hear.

Kate's grim face was like stone when she replied, "You don't have to like it. Just let them do their goddamn tests; better safe then sorry."

The steel in her voice caused Marcus to involuntarily shutter. God, at least he had some form of a human reaction for this less then human treatment.

Xander shifted from one large white machine to the next with purpose. The man looked lost in his own world as he prepped the devices, ignoring the large group of people watching him with disdain and fascination.

"Well?" Cathal asked once Xander stopped fussing over a particularly massive machine shaped like a tube and had a polished metal bed stationed in the middle of it.

"I'm ready for him" the scientist announced gleefully.

Marcus felt the corner of his lips twitch down in a frown – so much for buying some time.

"This may be a stupid question, but will it hurt him?" Blair quipped from behind Marcus.

Xander had a blank face before smiling and turning his palms up in a submissive gesture.

"In all honesty, nothing indicates that it should harm him. Don't hold me to it though, I've been wrong before."

_How reassuring._

Marcus caught Blair pursing her lips momentarily before her face became empty of all recognizable emotions – her well seasoned poker face living up to its purpose. If Xander's comment bothered her at all, the woman was doing a fantastic job of hiding it.

Hell, he doubted even his indifferent façade could even hope to equate to Blair's. Marcus internally flinched; just another reminder that he was form a different world. One none of the youth of the resistance could ever hope to comprehend.

He was laid on the table, the others escorted behind some large white wall sporting a one way window. After the plane he rested on was raised several inches, the scanning began.

A deafening humming sound rumbled around the tube he was in. If Marcus strained his ears enough he was sure he could hear part of the machine revolving – in what he thought was an ellipse – around his body.

 _Why do I feel like the monster in Frankenstein?_ He thought sardonically.

"Almost done" Xander's voice cracked over some invisible intercom.

Finally, after what Marcus thought was eons of waiting a _clanking_ thud boomed in the tunnel he was in and the table he then rested on shot out of – what he considered to be – the white donut-hole.

When Marcus sat up he noted three pair of curious eyes scorching him with an intensity he'd hope to never see again after his initial interrogation with John Connor and Barnes. Among them, Cathal's was the most considerate, Xavier's the most skeptical.

Xander observed him appraisingly. The man did not have hatred or scorn in his amber eyes but intrigue and mischief. Marcus knew something smart would come from the doctor's mouth before his lips so much as twitched.

"Does it hurt to think?" he asked bluntly.

_And God said there shalt be stupidity._

At first Marcus thought the question was a joke. Upon scrutinizing Xander's straight face he figured Blair was not the only one with a near perfect poker face.

"No," Marcus scoffed. "Does it hurt you?"

He blinked, and then smirked in a playful manner. "Actually, on numerous occasions I have received migraines from my work; my job does require a fare amount of mental deliberation."

"So, what's the verdict?" Kyle asked as he stepped into the room with Blair right behind him.

Shrugging nonchalantly Xander flitted over to a computer screen, pulling up a picture of what Marcus presumed to be an X-ray of his endoskeleton.

"From what I can tell there is nothing in him that can be tracked… or could spontaneously combust."

_I wonder how many people ever had to worry about blowing up due to ignorance on their biological makeup._

"So he's not a threat then," Blair concluded.

The conviction that he'd never been a hazard burned in her almond shaped eyes. Raising her chin fractionally the resistance fighter stared down Xander with a ferocity that dared him to challenge her statement. Though the look to kill was not directed towards him, Marcus shivered at the dangerous light that resided in her beautiful honey irises. Had he not known any better, Marcus would have thought Blair a magnificent panther that had cornered her prey and was waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

Xander glared back balefully. If it wasn't evident during breakfast it was now; he'd some how managed to get Blair in his corner. The idea caused something warm to stir inside him, something other then comfort or confidence. Something new, more fulfilling then what he'd previously felt for another.

It startled him. Thus far Marcus' only ambitions and plans – as devious as that sounded – were to construct away to show Blair he was still human, and to woo her into a relationship of some form or another. Only problem was he had not the first clue as to the type of relationship he wanted. It probably sounded stupid and childish, but Marcus craved for the touch and attention of another. Though the attention he received recently was not what he yearned for. It wasn't… right. It wasn't… _human._ The consideration bestowed on him by his peers was universes away from the way Blair offered her time to him.

What he wanted from her Marcus couldn't yet tell. It was frustrating. He'd never before not known exactly what he wanted. On top of all of this he was a hybrid fifteen years removed from _his_ world, placed into a foreign environment far more hostile then what was ever encountered by him before. Then there was the pressure constantly on him to be _human_ , whatever that title entailed.

From what he observed of everyone else, Marcus was convinced half the people that surrounded him were no more mortally sound then his hybrid status. What sane person strapped another to a table and then ordered execution without anything remotely close to a proper hearing of their guilt or innocence? _What the hell happened to equality and innocent until proven otherwise? Or torture? Didn't the UN outlaw that?_

The answer was placed before him. It was a hard reality to swallow, and stomaching it was difficult, but Marcus knew the times had changed. There was an unyielding reluctance to let go of the past despite his knowledge. It was one thing to _know_ and completely another to _accept._

Nostalgia was a given. How could one not long for the way they knew things? Simpler times and pleasant memories, or was that just some conjured up sugar coated image he'd deluded himself into? Was the past he came from that much clearer cut then the future he lived in now?

Before long Marcus felt himself beginning to slip away. A dead feeling was seeping in and it felt like he was drowning in a black tied that threaded to consume him. The conversations that went on around him buzzed in his ears and then… nothing.

* * *

Her heart leapt into her throat. Something was wrong with him. Marcus was fine one moment, standing idly by as she bickered with Xavier over their safety with his presence so close, then the next he collapsed.

Connor had been standing next to her, arguing for Marcus as well when he suddenly jerked forward the same moment as Kyle to catch him. Thankfully between the two men there was enough muscle to stop his fall to the ground, but from the pained look in Connor's eyes Blair could guess that holding him up was not practical.

Moving him over to a different table under the calm instructions of Xander, they placed Marcus down and watched in shock as the small man prepped the machine he was in. Seconds later Xander was rushing them back into the computer room behind the window and typing away at a monitor.

Blair watched with a forced coolness she'd not previously known herself capable of.

"Is he okay or not?" Kyle burst out after several long minutes of dead silence.

Xander chose to ignore the hormone driven teen and watched the screen of a black computer with narrowed eyes. His furrowed brow and undisguised frown clued Blair in that something was amiss.

"Damn it! What's _wrong_ with him?" Blair demanded; her patience cracking.

"You should be asking 'what's right' with him." Xander corrected mildly.

"Entschuldigen Sie?"

Blair was too outraged to even realize she just spoke in German. The fact that she could remember anything from the lessons she received as a child was miraculous, let alone a phrase such as 'excuse me'.

The comical look of confusion on Xander's face rivaled that of Kyle's slacked jaw mouth and Connor's raised eyebrows for the best reaction award.

"Umm… what?" Xander asked.

"I said, ' _excuse me_ '." Her voice was clipped.

Sighing Xander stood to more properly come eye to eye with her and the others. His face wasn't as grave as Blair thought it could be, which sparked hope in her that whatever the conflict, it wasn't too serious.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say he just passed out." Xander stated simply.

"… That's it? He just… passed out?" Kyle asked incredulously.

Xander's brow rutted down again in concentration, "No. I believe he had just cause to pass out. I never implied he collapsed for the sake of it."

Continuing before anyone could interrupt, Xander went on.

"You said he came right out of hibernation and into the outside world (to your knowledge); obviously after Skynet fixed him to their liking.

"None of you could recount a time where Marcus himself mentioned – or any of you were in his presence could recall – him ever taking time to speak to someone about his condition on a less biased level. Nor did he ever have time to truly 'relax' enough to enter into a semi-normal condition. Other then last night and maybe handful of other times, I doubt Marcus ever exited out of a state of what I would loosely describe as 'hyperawareness'.

"Yes, he is a hybrid. After what you told me while we were scanning him the first time, and the results we got from the test, I don't doubt it." Xander said, staring down Connor and Kyle who both looked like they had objections.

"Is he more mentally and physically adapted then any human? Yes, by a very wide margin I dare say. Does that make him completely immune to all things and everything? I argue _no_.

"He has half a computer for a brain, yes. The other half is still human, still susceptible. So he can heal and take more physical and mental damage then any of us – this is true. However, all things human, no matter how it is rearranged, programmed, or altered is still human, and therefore has limits."

Blair couldn't help the small smile that twitched a corner of her lip skywards. She had thought Xander completely incompetent. Now it finally seemed like someone other then she was beginning to grasp the entity that was Marcus.

"Physically speaking, I see nothing wrong with him; mentally, not so much." Xander explained.

"Marcus has had few chances to process everything. It is my opinion that he figuratively hit a wall where psychologically he couldn't continue as he was. There are so many things we take for granted that are plausibly alien to him. Our very culture is nothing like the one he was reared in. Add in the disorienting war, current world landscape, the conflict of not knowing what he is or who he is, and gentlemen… and ladies, I'd say you'd have one massive migraine and stress related condition on your hand.

"For the sake of driving my point home I'll add this: I'm surprised Marcus got as far as he did. Had it been anyone else I would think they'd of had a total psychotic breakdown long before now."

The tangible truth hung in the air. No one moved, but stood frozen to their spots like statues. Except for Blair, who moved over to the window to watch Marcus as she felt the information sink into her bones.

"What do we do?" Kate asked in a small voice.

Xander didn't reply right away, remaining silent as he strolled to his chair and took his seat once more.

"I don't mean to alarm any of you but I honestly can't say I have an answer at the moment. His vitals are all fine, just his brainwaves were off the charts when we got him into the scanner. Now they've settled to a low level – I'd compare it to someone in a comma."

Again, silence fell over all of them.

Blair felt like her heart was humming like that of a bee's buzz. What if Marcus never woke up? Or what if he wasn't the same when and if he did?

Her heart must have shattered into pieces because Blair felt like there was a large hole in her chest and something distasteful irritating her stomach. Marcus had to pull through; there was no question about it. If he didn't, _her_ sanity would be on the line.

Lilly, who had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal almost, asked the question she couldn't. "He'll wake up, right?"

Blair watched Xander out of the corner of her eye. The man looked exhausted, giving a wry smile.

"Once again, don't hold me to this, but he should."

 _He should?_ The words bounced around her head until they were just an echo in the far corners of Blair's mind. That wasn't good enough! Frustration and helplessness bubbled over the threshold and the sudden urge to hit something was the product.

Oh how she wished Volker was there to act as her personal punching bag. Blair could use a good stress reliever and that idiot had it coming. The notion to seek out the little snob was an inviting thought.

"What do we do with him?" Connor asked passively.

"Put him in our medical unit and monitor him," Cathal suggested.

Xander nodded, "That would be the best option. I can call down there and have a more privet bed prepared for Marcus."

"I don't think there are many other options," Xavier added.

Connor submitted with a condition "Fine, but we would like to have access to him at all times."

Cathal glanced to Xavier then the lead scientist before his green eyes made a grand sweep of everyone else in the room. His continence was thoughtful as the leader observed them with a sudden intensity.

"I see no harm in that arrangement."

"I also want to walk down with him," Connor added.

Blair knew that John's regard for Marcus had improved but the last request caught her off guard. Kate also appeared taken aback before correcting her face into a pleasant mask.

"I think the rest of us should return to our rooms. We can continue the tour another time," the good doctor advised.

Cathal agreed as Xander picked up a strange looking device and radioed the pre-arrival of Marcus and Connor. Once everything was squared away Marcus was laid on a stretcher and wheeled away before Blair could get a chance to say goodbye.

* * *

Trudging back to her room Blair felt the weight of everything crash down around her. _This is just an inkling of what Marcus must have felt,_ she thought dejectedly.

How had he been able to even breathe? She felt like her throat was constricted and heart was a stone in her stomach. Though the tension was catching up with her, Blair refused to show it.

The woman squared her shoulders and picked up her feet. She'd be damned if this stopped her. Blair made it through hell and back plenty of times. One more trial by fire wouldn't do her in, and if Marcus was the incentive… no. If Marcus was the prize then she'd face Skynet and its entirety just to have him with her.

There was no question about it. Marcus Wright was the person she got up for in the morning, the reason why she felt safe once more, her purpose to live as a human being again, and the very core of her existence seemed hardwired to center around him now. And no one, not even himself, would take that away from her. Blair Williams was a woman that would not be denied, and it was time Marcus figured that out.


	10. Chapter 10

He had seen people dead before. Only God knew how many times he must have. Then there was actually watching people die and the horrors of war and bloody battles that never seemed to end. All of it was a life he'd known.

Those born into the current state of affairs, or were there to watch the transitioning between _that_ world and _this_ world, obviously acclimated and psychologically adjusted to the new environment. Before Marcus there had never been an issue with the mental capacity to emotionally and psychosomatically leave behind yesterday for the new day.

In Marcus' defense those born after Judgment Day knew of no other life and those that did live to see the apocalypse were forced to accept and move on. Having experienced it personally must have been the reason others were capable of saying their goodbyes.

It was in many ways unjust to the man that now lay on the bed. Marcus wouldn't be given the opportunity for closer like the others, and that was a fact that indisputably led to the existing predicament of the hybrid lying in a possibly permeate vegetated state.

Marcus was pale, or at least that's what John thought as he observed the being before him. His mouth was set in a hard line that looked far from peaceful. Then again, if he'd collapsed due to post traumatic stress Connor assumed – he internally cringing at the imprecise word – his face wouldn't host a cheerful disposition either.

Taking a seat left of Marcus, John settled in for a long quite sit. He wasn't a man that habitually spoke often unless he had something to say, which was rare. Connor opted for thoughtfulness and didn't banter with others. Kate once used the phrase to describe him as 'all work and no play.' The irony of the statement being used in 2018 was one of the few things that got a chuckle out of him.

Despite his usual nature Connor found the odd and unfamiliar obligation to speak to Marcus, though the other man was out cold. There were things he hadn't said to the newest edition of the resistance but felt compelled to voice. The reason why was beyond his scope of personal understanding, but there it was, like an irritating wound that continued to fester.

"Thank you, for saving me."

He felt ridiculous. There was no way Marcus would hear him. And if anyone walked into the small square room to find the prophesized resistance leader talking to a guy in a comma his reputation would be on the line, along with his credibility.

"If you had not found Kyle I'd hate to think what could have happened to him. I guess that means I should be thanking you for saving him too?"

It made sense, in a convoluted sort of way. Had Kyle Reese died there wouldn't be a John Connor to save, so Marcus indirectly intervened a number of times in his death.

"I won't lie and say I understand what you're going through. Every experience is different for each one of us, and our experiences are… worlds apart. I can say that I'm grateful you showed up when you did.

"You may not believe me when I say this, but I think Kate likes having you around. I know Blair does," Connor couldn't help the small smirk that twitched a corner of his lip up in a crooked smile.

"For their sake, if not your own, I hope you come back."

He knew it wasn't much, and his flow from topic to topic was almost nonexistent, but that was all John was willing to divulge, even to an unconscious person that he owed his life to several times over. Connor wouldn't regret keeping silent about the rest, though if Marcus never figured out he was – not so much happy as – reassured that the man was there, he might live to lament that.

John wasn't a verbally or socially emotional person. Anything more eloquent then what he just gave would allude to a more romanticized being beneath the hard stoic pretense he kept up. It was true John possessed the same range of feelings as the next person; sometimes they would slip through his calculated front, like his anger, frustration, or desperation; but that wasn't a wise thing to show when one was expected to somehow save the world.

 _In many ways_ , he mused, _we aren't so different after all._

Both Marcus and John had heavy crosses to bear; Marcus with his hybrid, pre-apocalypse, baggage – and everything that went with the broad classification – and Connor with the expectations of him by everyone. It seemed fate was neither kind nor forgiving with the paths they walked.

* * *

"John? John…?"

Stirring from the hazy fog of his sleep deprived body Connor raised his head that had been slumped over the back of his chair. The heavy and relaxed sensations he felt in his body began to ebb away once awareness set in. Lazily moving his eyes around the room through hooded lids his sight came to rest on the vibrant redhead that was standing off to the side of him.

Kate had her hand extended out so it cupped his shoulder in what he presumed to be an attempt at comfort. Of course her grip was tense; it felt like the woman was about ready to rip his arm out of its socket.

Ever sense the scare three days ago with his spontaneous bleeding Connor noticed the dramatic change in his wife's behavior. Anytime he dozed off or disappeared from her line of sight and hearing for longer then twenty minutes she would work herself into a frantic state. Why she'd do that to herself – especially while being so far along in her pregnancy – was beyond his comprehension.

"I'm fine. Relax and breathe, Kate."

His advice didn't seem to get him very far because the frenzied look that brightened her enchanting blue eyes quickly rolled into two icy orbs glaring at him. _Pregnant woman and hormones, you just can't win._

"I'll breathe when you start! You were practically choking yourself of air while you were sleeping John!" Her voice was just as cold and stormy as her face.

"On what, drool?" he challenged gruffly.

"No. You were snoring, John! _Snoring_!"

He felt the blank expression on his face. As much as he may try, Connor couldn't hide his bafflement over how snoring of all things could be so detrimental to his health and work up Kate into such a fit.

Connor finally had to ask, "This is relevant to me chocking how?"

"Because when people snore the Carbon dioxide levels in their blood increases dramatically and suffocates the person until they wake up. This condition leads to high blood pressure and heart complications – like heart attacks – and can have negative impacts on people over long periods of time.

"I know you're not stupid, John, but need I remind you that you just went under another heart procedure within a two day time span?" By the end of her mini-rant Kate's voice had trilled up an octave.

"What am I suppose to do then, Kate? I have to sleep sometime!" He couldn't help his raised voice level.

What did she want him to do? First she wanted him to sleep as much as possible then she wanted him to not sleep at all, now she wanted him to know when to and not to rest!

 _Do woman even_ know _what they want?_

The fierce creature before him narrowed her eyes till they were slits of ice glowing in the gloom of the medical room. Kate's nostrils flared and she straightened her back, as best as any pregnant woman could, while putting her hands on either side of her elongated hips. She looked to be twice the size she had been before, though that didn't do her much good when dealing with an alpha male such as himself.

John crossed his arms and glowered back at her with the same frustration.

Both of them stood rooted to their spots, refusing to back down and show submission to the other. Of course this did very little in the way of being productive when the couple was having a dominance match. It was possible to even be considered a fight of egos when one examined it close enough.

* * *

Kyle swung the white door to Marcus' room open with violent enthusiasm, making the warring pair visible for them to see. Star could feel the vibrations as the large door hit the other side of the wall.

Though there was no sound audible to her, she could pick up on the tense state of affairs by swiftly reading the body language being displayed. The man, Connor (she knew his name from being able to read lips), was defensive and obviously was not going to negotiate whatever it was that Kate had said.

The couple grudgingly turned to glare at both of them before rushed words – that she couldn't catch do to the inarticulate way they moved their lips in their hurry – were given. Kate stormed out first, and then followed by Connor who stalked out in a much slower, more pained fashion.

She could feel the subtle jolting of the ground as John limped by and the air whip around her when Kate did. Star watched as a nurse assisted John out before turning back to stare up at Kyle with wide eyes.

The teenager grinned down at her in his usual aloof way before taking her hand and leading her into the petite sterile room. There on the hospital bed, neatly wrapped in white sheets and lying on his back, was Marcus. The sight of her new found friend made her smile – she could feel the muscles in her face strain to accommodate the expression.

Releasing Kyle's hand with childlike abandon she scurried over to Marcus' side, her friend all but left forgotten behind her. She looked at his tan face, and then let her eyes travel wonderingly down his body to where one of his massive hands laid at his side limply.

Without hesitation she took the hand – the one still human in appearance – and wrapped her own smaller paws around it, letting her fingers clasp tightly around his knuckles. Marcus' skin was cool to the touch, so much so that Star was tempted to wince in surprise.

She turned to look at Kyle for an explanation, and found him already at her side. Star had felt his approach and knew by the time she glanced over he'd be there, like always.

Kyle knelt known and placed his hand over her dark brown ones that were still clinging to Marcus'.

She couldn't hear what he said, but Star understood the words as he mouthed them with practiced fluency for her comprehension.

'He'll be all right. He's sleeping.'

Star turned back to Marcus. Lifting his hand she let it rest against her warm cheek, hoping to thaw his frosty skin so he was a pleasant temperature once more.

Kyle lifted her up and sat her next to him. She crawled over to nestle into Marcus' side and stretched out there, wrapping his arm around her small frame. The comforting scent of the world above drifted into her nostrils, lulling her into a feeling of safety and protection.

Her face wasn't turned towards Kyle, but she knew he was talking. Star didn't have to read his lips to know what he was saying, she just did. There was no logic to it other then she knew the boy better then he probably knew himself.

' _Hey Marcus, it's us – Star and Kyle._

' _We thought we'd give ya a break from Oscar the Grouch and Wifezilla.'_

Star glanced over her shoulder just to make sure the words were correct and found she was spot on. They were confusing though. She knew who Oscar the Grouch was thanks to one of the few books Kyle had read to her, but the reference of 'Wifezilla' threw her for a loop. What and who was Wifezilla?

Contemplating some of Kyle's humorous jibes could be irritating, usually earning her a headache. So Star eventually gave up on her friend's nonstop nonsense and turned back around to cuddle further into the side of Marcus. Losing herself in the inviting scent and pleasant feel of his muscled body Star began to nod off much like Connor had earlier.

There was something about the strange man that made everything seem okay. She had noticed Blair always acting happier when in his presence, and Kyle seemed just as happy as well to have someone to talk to and confide in, trust even. Connor didn't give away much, but his subtle body language indicated he was more lax around Marcus as well. Lilly and Phil were much the same.

Barnes on the other hand was always cold towards Marcus, and sometimes she would flinch from the harsh way he acted around the other man. Kate was more pleasant and didn't seem to mind him too much, which was slowly changing to mirror the others high regard.

Before long Star found herself succumbing to the soft pull of sleep and peacefully let her mind go as Kyle continued his personal monologue with only himself as a witness.

* * *

"And here we have...."

Blair sighed, ignoring the obnoxious voice of Volker as he continued his endless tour of the rainforest resistance base. Her thoughts were far from concentrating on memorizing her new home. No, Blair was more content to let her mind wander where it may. Whether it be reflective or inquiring her musings were far more captivating then the idiot jabbering not five feet away from her.

_Blah, blah-blah, blah-blah. If someone doesn't shut him up I think I'll crack!_

"Now that we finished the first half of our tour—"

_URRGHH! This is cruel and unusual punishment!_

The members of the Californian Resistance had been broken up into two groups, each given tours different days. Connor, Kate, Kyle, and Star had all went yesterday, the day after Marcus' sudden mental relapse. Today it was Barnes, Phil, Lilly, and herself getting the grand rundown of things.

Blair gauged the time when she glanced at the clock hanging above a doorway they passed through on their way to the next wing. By now Kyle and Star were probably stopping by to visit Marcus, which only made the tour that much worse.

She was envious of the other two. They got to be with him while she was stuck with a hypocritical jerk that suffered from diarrhea of the mouth.

Volker's voice was horribly scratchy and a little too baritone for her liking. It was nothing like the gruff tenor of Marcus' appealing tone. The strange accent that Volker possessed also had nothing on Marcus' northern pronunciation that held hints of an Australian drawl. Just the thought of such a pleasing voice was enough to make Blair swoon.

Unfortunately she wasn't able to fantasize for much longer. Volker had come to stand at her side as they took their place in the lunch line, immediately ruining her mood. She had managed to ignore another hour of him and once their lunch break was over with there would only be an hour left, then Blair could see Marcus.

"Is there something you would like?" Volker asked sweetly as he piled food onto his plate.

Blair opted for a glass of water and a bowl of chili, hoping to get away from Volker sooner rather then later.

She managed to mumble "Yes, but you don't want to know what it is" before she pulled away to sit down.

"I'm sure I do!" He pressed.

Volker followed her over to an empty round table in the far corner of the cafeteria. He continued his persistence until Blair finally gave up being nice and let her sharp tongue loose.

"You not talking."

_That shut him up. Victory!_

Blair smirked to herself as he stared at her, taken aback by her blunt rudeness.

Barnes sat down to her right and was followed by Phil and Lilly, both taking more time due to their injuries. When the other two sat down Volker stood up and walked away, taking his trey of food with him.

Blair would have felt bad, but then she remembered who she was dealing with and tossed the regret aside with little effort. _He insisted – it's not my fault he asked._

* * *

She felt like a little girl again as she practically ran down the long gray hallway towards the medical wing.

In her ridiculous eagerness to be with Marcus, Blair all but ripped the door separating them off its hinges. She had little time to fret over such a trivial thing for when her eyes landed on the handsome creature that was gracing the room with his presence she felt her knees go weak.

Xander was standing next to Marcus, writing on a paper that was attached to a clipboard. His face was relaxed, nothing ominous seemed to emit from the man so Blair figured there shouldn't be any reason for alarm. She still wanted to know why of all people he was there though.

"Xander," she greeted stiffly.

He glanced up from his writing long enough to identify who had addressed him before turning back to his work.

"Blair." He greeted back.

Her voice came out more exasperated then she initially meant for it too, "Why are you here? And what are you doing?"

"Relax," he waved her off nonchalantly.

"I am simply here to record his progress and make sure Marcus is taken care of. Yes, that includes any medication or treatment he might need."

"What about Kate Connor? She's a doctor and has some experiences dealing with his physiology. Why is she not treating him instead of you?" Blair asked.

Xander rolled his hazel eyes before facing her head on, "Because I'm the one that has seen the scans of his body and was able to deduce the state of his mental psyche. Kate never once thought about the psychological implications that surround Marcus. Besides, she has a baby on the way and has a husband still recovering from heart complications; she has enough to worry about."

Blair narrowed her eyes challengingly.

"But Kate could look at the scans and she has actually seen what the inside of his body looks like and has had first hand experiences with his healing patterns. Wouldn't she still be the better doctor?"

Xander took offense to that, obviously. Any doctor or scientist that was told they didn't ante up to another naturally would take a blow to the ego.

"I would say yes, especially due to her having more years in the field then me, but in this case I'd be better. Kate is more specialized in the physical ailments below the neck while I tend to practice more with the psychological and physical conflicts above the neck."

She pursed her lips, unable to find another argument. So instead Blair settled down in the reclining chair to Marcus' left, watching Xander turn back around and scrawl some more things down.

Blair had to hand it to Xander, he was a much better guy then she gave him credit for. Most others would have started a fight or walked out, abandoning the patient. Xander just brushed her off and gave sound logic for his actions while continuing to do his job efficiently. She once again found herself understanding why Cathal turned to Xander for many things, instead of someone like Volker.

Not that she had anything against Germans – that being she spoke the language fluently, or use to at least – but Volker was an exception to the rules… on numerous things. Blair actually had met a few other German resistance fighters during the tour and found all of them (excluding Volker) to be intelligent. Their sense of humor was right up her ally as well.

_Volker must be that annoying disgrace that everyone has to deal with._

Now that she thought about it, Volker hadn't seemed to understand what the other Germans had said when they spoke in their native tongue. Though she comprehended the words nearly as well as she did English, which was a pleasant surprise, it had been years sense she heard the language. _Maybe he is a generation removed from the homeland?_

Blair herself had lived in Germany for five years, that being the only reason she could speak it so fluently. It had been a proven fact back then that children picked up on other languages much faster and more intuitively then adults did, thus why her father and mother made sure she was given a tutor to help catch her up to her peers when she was in school there.

She could still recall the day when her father came home and announced that he had been stationed in Germany for a few years, and that they – her mother and herself – would be going with him. This all occurred before Judgment Day, and Judgment Day happened shortly after the return home to their beloved farm.

Xander suddenly broke through her reminiscing, "You okay? You've been unusually quite, Blair."

"Yeah. I was just thinking about things." She murmured distantly.

Forcing herself to come back to the present, Blair focused on Xander who was watching her from the end of Marcs' bed. A quizzical look was on his face, but he didn't pry, which she had to be grateful for.

"How is he? Is there any improvement?"

Xander glanced at Marcus briefly before flicking his eyes back to her.

"He's fine. His brain activity is up a little more, so it seems like he is gradually coming back. It could have to do with the steady flow of people in here. Humans do respond to each other with burst of energy inside their brain. I think a healthy amount of socializing is doing him good."

Blair smiled and turned to admire Marcus. The news made her heart feel like it was beating with a little more kick to it. If she didn't know herself better, Blair would have thought her heart was virtually singing for him.

"Thank you, Xander." She said with all earnestness. "I know I haven't been the most hospitable person, but you were kinder then anyone else – next to Cathal of course."

He shrugged and gave a lopsided smile that was as goofy as his unorthodox charisma.

"Hey, that's why they keep me around, you know. I'm one of the few that is tolerable in higher doses."


	11. Chapter 11

"Wait…! Don't go!" she cried out helplessly.

 _She gave chase to the retreating form and soon all she could make out was the billowing navy blue resistance coat far off in the_ distance _. The impossible space_ between _them made her heart pound in her chest, terror flooding her body until she could no longer move; frozen in place as she watched him disappear._

_Desperation took over. Somehow, the feeling that he would never come back found its way into her head. How she knew this wasn't important – despite none of the logic making sense – all that mattered was he was gone; not coming for her, not ever._

" _Marcus! Come back, you can't leave! DON'T GO! MARCUS!"_

Flying out of her bed Blair practically maimed herself as she scrambled about the floor, tangled in the cotton sheets that were twisted around her limbs. Disorientation wasn't a usual thing for her in the morning, but ever since Marcus had collapsed she had been struggling with nightmares that left her winded and confused when she woke.

Blair felt like she took on all of Skynet, exhausted, no more rested than when she initially fell asleep. If this continued it would be a miracle for her to get a total of eight decent hours of rest in a week. With all the thrashing she did Blair was able to guess she rarely entered the deeper stages of slumber, but stayed in a semi-wake state.

Sighing with exasperation at herself, Blair stumbled to her feet and prepared for another agonizingly sluggish day without the other half of her heart. _Wake up Marcus… damn it!_

* * *

She took her seat in the cafeteria with only a glass of water and a banana. Blair noticed that Kyle and Star weren't already there waiting for her. During the past week, since Xander gave the news that Marcus' brainwaves had improved the slightest amount, the two other resistance members had always greeted Blair first thing in the morning at breakfast. Both of them were morning people, unlike herself.

"You look like hell," the sudden remark coming from behind her.

Blair twisted around to find Xander gliding towards her with his own plate full of various fruits. The eccentric man sat down across from her, his impish behavior unaffected as usual. If anything did bother Xander (and that was a big if), he had one heck of a knack for hiding it.

"I feel like hell," she retorted dryly.

Glancing up from his fruit salad, Xander fixed his warm amber eyes on her with a curious look.

"I'd say 'penny for your thoughts' but I do believe your American money holds little significance outside your own borders, and I don't recall the last time I had use of any form of currency."

She gave a half-hearted smirk, "It's the thought that counts, right?"

He nodded his head, concurring with a lively leer of his own. "So I'm told."

Blair picked up her glass of water, sipping on it to stall for some time while she gathered her cluttered thoughts. The first thing that came to her mind was how much to reveal, she didn't like vulnerability regardless of who she consulted; Marcus being the only exception.

"Well?" Xander prompted with fictitious impatience.

"I can't sleep at night, and when I do my dreams are… they aren't pleasant," she concluded awkwardly.

"From stress, perhaps?" he guessed.

Shrugging her shoulders, Blair attempted to down play the scenario. Compared to Connor's predicament, she got off easy. Sleep deprivation wasn't the biggest problem to have within the new members.

Blair meant to aim for an honest – open – presentation; instead her voice came out flat. "Maybe, I'm not sure."

"If you have time, stop by the labs later and I'll see what I can do about your insomnia," Xander offered with an offhand attitude.

She eyed him suspiciously for a few moments, not sure if taking any form of medication from the man would do her any good, but perhaps quite the contrary. The question wasn't if Blair needed help to enter peaceful sleep, but whether she trusted anyone enough to accept their help. Though Xander did pose as one of the more credible people within the new resistance she now lived with, even he had a ways to go before trust would be a gift granted to him.

_Why am I letting him play doctor to Marcus again?_

Xander grumbled out, "Well if you don't want my help, just say so. There is no need to scowl."

Blair smoothed out her furrowed brow and with some effort she managed to force her lips into an indifferent line. It had not occurred to her that she had been making faces, and judging by the slightly offended one Xander now wore, Blair must have been making quite a show.

"I was just thinking, that's all," she tried to smooth the situation over.

He smirked, "Next time you decide to think, warn a guy."

She felt the corner of the right side of her mouth curl into a crooked smile she usually only bestowed on or for Marcus.

_Oh, that's right, because he is the only guy batty enough to try_ _._

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do about that," she retorted dryly.

Their conversation was lighter from that point on. When Xander left for his routine work, Blair took off towards Marcus' room in the medical wing before going to hers. She had been reassigned to her hobby and passion; flying anything that could leave the ground and helping with the coordinating over the secure airways. Her new stations curtsey, Cathal, who shared her enthusiasm for the skyways instead of the highways. The Irishman spoke her language, and the redheaded general could be a pleasant boss.

Xavier specialized in battle tactics and ground based operations, which was where Connor and Barnes were stationed. Neither of them seemed to have complaints, particularly not John – who was given a much higher status than just about everyone in the entire place.

Kate was working with Xander, though her shifts were far less grueling both physically and mentally. The hours given to her were also subdued from that of the others. It wasn't surprising, with the baby only about a month away. Connor was trying to ease her completely off work altogether, and that wasn't always a point of agreement between the two. So Xander stepped in and said for the next two weeks Kate could still work, though her time limits were short, no longer than two hours a day.

Lilly and Phil were both still recovering from their sustained injuries. They were given less tedious work and would be assigned to more specialized areas at a later date.

Kyle and Star were inseparable, wherever one went the other was there to go too. Half the time the duo was at Marcus' bedside. The other half they were doing more simple tasks such as running things to people and passing on information or boxes full of stuff, needing to be brought to the labs or elsewhere.

Almost everyone had fallen into a place…except Marcus. Blair yearned for him to wake so she could stare into his sky-blue eyes once more. How she longed to confide in him again, to hear his deep voice offering some kind of sarcastic rebuff back. Even just a stupid wink or awkward embrace would suffice.

_I'm burning in hell which is right smack in the middle of heaven. Hel-lo purgatory_ _._

Blair rounded the last corner of a never ending maze of hallways, the medical unit's doors now within her sight. Once she opened that last door dividing her from him almost all her crankiness vanished. A flood of despair and pleasure wrapped its way around her heart all at once, like it usually did.

There on the gurney laid the justification for the sun to rise and earth to spin. If there was ever evidence that there might be a god, Marcus was her indication. He breathed new life into her, giving her a reason to exist for more than just battle. Blair had saved him and he in turn had saved her, in so many ways.

His cropped brown-copper hair was mussed like one would expect for someone in bed. Marcus obviously had been recently shaved by one of the tending nurses for the short beard that had been growing on his face was gone, with no signs of stubble yet either. Those soul penetrating eyes were closed, but Blair felt like goo at the very thought of the regal irises.

"Good morning… Marcus," she sighed wistfully.

Blair padded to his side with a slow unsteady gait – most unusual for her. Ever since that day they first came here she had wanted to try something, though it wouldn't be new, it hopefully would go undisrupted. The very thought of what she was about to try made her both nervous and giddy.

Glancing at the door to make sure it was still closed and no one was coming, Blair checked the empty room once more and then turned her sights to Marcus again. As she leaned down over his body Blair was conscious of her racing heart, the organ continuing to pick up in an accelerando until her full lips were mere millimeters away from Marcus'.

She paused, checking to make sure he was still out cold and listening for misgivings of their privacy being invaded. Blair wouldn't have someone encroaching upon such a tender moment. If anyone did disturb her, there would be hell to pay.

Closing the distance Blair let her lips brush over Marcus' soft mouth in a light smooch. His natural scent was intoxicating and the feel of his lips against hers was almost enough to make her want to forget about everything besides them.

Blair forced herself to pull away from Marcus, her heart that was singing like a canary now thrummed with new exhilaration. If it felt like that when he wasn't even awake or trying she'd die to know what it was like when Marcus was actually conscious and kissing back. He had kissed her once before, but it had been short and desperate in a goodbye mannerism, not at all romantic compared to this encounter.

_God Marcus, why can't you just wake up like Sleeping Beauty already?_

* * *

The days were dragging by painfully slow and Blair was almost positive that the past hour felt more like a week. She was still running on her high strung emotions from earlier that day but even such little joy was not enough to sustain her for long. Coupled with sleep deprivation and the combinations were lethal. Her pride might very well be her undoing at this point, but Blair had decided against visiting Xander for help, a choice she was now second guessing.

It would seem Marcus had made dramatic improvements since yesterday morning but was a ways away from waking. The thought caused her heart to give a not so subtle lurch, an aching feeling squeezing at her there like a vice. Anguish followed right after, like each time her chest constricted more it sent out stronger waves of dejection. If she didn't know herself better, Blair might have thought she was suffering from some form of depression.

_Maybe I'm the bipolar one?_

"This is chopper three." Blair was jolted out of her stupor and thrown back into reality as the voice of one of the resistance fighters resonated into her headset.

"Chopper Three, this is A.I.R, go ahead," she instructed.

The deep voice cracked over her headset after a moment's pause, "We located a Skynet facility over Quadrant IV."

Blair's eyes automatically flicked to an orange radar screen to her right that was diagonally up along the counter she was working at. Like the trained professional that she was, Blair had little difficulty reading the location of the aircraft, despite still learning some of the new terrain and landscape. Writing down the location in the log, she then flipped a switch to commit the numbers to memory on a backup drive just in case.

"I got your coordinates Chopper Three, report on visual."

There was a pause that Blair would have deemed worthy of the word _epic_. The fighter pilot nearly thought something happened to the scouting patrol until the voice of the male that was steadily growing more familiar came back on. "We lost visual moments ago but it was a base of some type underground. We couldn't see the bottom and it was shaped in an ellipse-like configuration."

"What were the dimensions?" she asked while scribbling down the description.

The voice took on a mocking tone, "Like hell if I know."

"Guesstimate then," her reply was terse.

"Roughly twenty-seven meters in diameter?" the man's tenor made it sound like a question.

_Twenty-seven meters… if I am calculating right that's about thirty yards across._

"Anything else, lady?"

 _Yeah,_ _go to_ _hell wiseass_ , she thought cynically.

"No, I got it all _dude_."

After checking to make sure the chopper was on the way back then dismissing the conversation, Blair flagged down one of her fellow coordinators and let them take over her station. Once out of the room and hidden from the scrutiny of everyone's eyes Blair shot off like a bat honing in on its prey – only her target wasn't a bug or rodent, but the man in charge of all this – Cathal. Connor would want to hear about it too no doubt.

 _The description_ _seemed_ _familiar._ But where had she heard of something like that before? In the end Blair just shook off her musings and focused her attention on hunting down the flame haired Irishman.

She wasn't more than three minutes into her search when Kyle came zipping around the far corner at the end of the hallway Blair was tracking down. He had a frantic manner in the way he was holding himself, the enthusiasm and excitement emitting from him was palpable.

_I don't have time to play Kyle, dang it!_

"BLAIR! BLAIR! BLAIR!" he waved her down like he was having a spasm in both arms. "You'll never guess what's happening! You gotta come with me!"

"I can't talk right now, Kyle. I need to find Cathal, ASAP. Verstehen Sie mich?"

Kyle appeared frustrated at this, "Blair you gotta come with me, right _now_! Cathal is with John, Kate, Xavier, Star, Lilly, and Phil."

"What are you babbling about? What's going on?"

"I've been trying to tell you," he said grabbing her upper arm and dragging her down the hallway as swiftly as he could. "It's Marcus. Xander said he'll be waking up in a few minutes, you gotta come with me."

Blair froze momentarily. _Marcus?_

That was all the incentive she needed. Blair yanked her arm from Kyle and tore off down the hallways, her destination was obvious. She pushed her lean legs to travel as fast as they would allow her to go while still maintaining her equilibrium. Thanks to all the leg work she had to do with relaying information about updates from the patrols she had memorized most of the place quickly. Blair knew the fastest way to Marcus and began cutting across sections and through entire wings. The only sounds she heard were the pounding of hers and Kyle's feet against the hard white floors as they sprinted along.

Within seven minutes Blair was nearing the medical wing once more. Throwing the last of her strength she possessed into her legs Blair blasted through the large double doors, streaking towards her desired destination. Though her lungs were burning Blair refused to slacken her breakneck pace for a moment. Marcus was waking up and she'd be damned if she wasn't there to greet him.

Lilly, Phil, and Xavier were all perched outside his room, the door closed. Blair halted only when her fingers curled around the cool brass doorknob. She didn't wait to be permitted entry; throwing open the painted wood door and rushing inside.

Her eyes went straight to Marcus who was in a more upright position on his bed. Cathal, Connor, and Star were standing a few feet back on his left to give him room. Kate was at the foot of Marcus' bed while Xander stood next to her at the end on the right side. They all flicked their eyes to Blair in surprise at her abrupt entrance, then she felt their gazes slide past her.

Blair turned to see a winded Kyle straggling in behind her; he was shutting the door while crouching over and wheezing for breath. She would have felt bad for ditching the young man and leaving him to catch up but all Blair's mind could process was the giddy and anxious feelings that Marcus would soon be with her consciously once more.

So many things were spinning in her head at that moment. Blair wanted to finally ante up to her feelings for him. She wanted to throw herself at him and just have Marcus hold her – like at the race track. Hell, Blair would have settled for a simple handshake at this point. All that mattered was Marcus would be awake once more, and she'd be able to stare into his eyes and know, that even in these horrible times, everything was alright.

"Is Kyle telling the truth? Marcus is waking up, completely?" she demanded. Blair's voice shocked her. It sounded just as breathless as Kyle looked. Normally she was in good enough shape that a heart racing sprint didn't perturb her. Part of it was probably from Blair already being excited by the news.

Xander smiled his patient smile and nodded. "Yes, Marcus will be waking up within the next minute or so. You're just in time."

* * *

** Footnotes: **

I normally don't do footnotes (I have an aversion to them) but I think you may be seeing them pop up from time to time for references or lines in the story that you probably are wondering the relevance of, or what they mean. So just be on the look out of them. :)

A.I.R: _Amazon's Intelligence Resistance_. Normally used for airborne operations only.

Verstehen Sie mich?: Roughly translates to " _Do you understand me?_ ".


	12. Chapter 12

Emptiness: a black nothing far more terrifying than the cloak of night. For even in night there is often the moon and stars to guide upon. This endless abyss was devoid of time, there was no sense of how much passed. Hope was not even there. Fear didn't exist, but without that emotion no other temperament mattered. It was calm yet chaotic. Detachment was the baseline that decided everything. Only after eternity did the numb mind last. Thoughts started to come at a sluggish pace that made it impossible to string them together. Coherency wasn't possible at first; there was no connection between the ideas and words. Nothing and everything still existed as one entity, with no other companion. Another long eternity of miniscule thoughts continued. They were no more attached to any meaning than the emptiness.

Thoughts interwoven and slowly increasing with speed brought about minimal awareness. Over an extended period of time the blackness was registered and the calmness of nothing became a steadily growing consciousness. With words coming to mean something and attach to emotions once more, self acknowledgement was given life from rebirth. Everything was no longer the mutual entity that complemented nothing.

_He felt like he was wading through water; the suffocating thoughts and confusion pushing against him as he struggled towards a destination he neither knew nor could see. It was like trudging through snow, though it wasn't the physical body of water that attempted to restrain him, but an unseen force that – had no true chemical composition or material form but – had always been there, that was inside everyone he was sure. Whether it was what he heard some refer to as a_ _conscience_ _or just a moral barrier put into place by society, he knew it was there, a line that wasn't to be crossed. In his predicament it was possible that that last threshold had already been breached by his new existence. Still, he pressed on_ _. Though_ _everything was black he could sense a physical form that made him up as he forced his way back to wherever it was he was going._

_For a time he knew not who he was nor where he was, but a light blazed out from the endless darkness like a calling flame to a_ _moth._ _Gradually it grew larger as time passed, and the memories of everything swept by him in bubbles or pockets, like walking through a house of mirrors though it was his life that was staring back at him, replaying lost scenes that apparently held significance to him. Was this his reflective limbo state before the final judgment would be passed and he would either be plummeted to the burning pits of hell or raised to the glorious golden gates of heaven? It seemed like it, though he was sure he could hear a faint heartbeat somewhere in the distance, which must mean there was something living. Was it him? Or was it too late to turn from this seemingly inevitable path and he was listening to another life being spared?_

_Indifferent he was no longer. The fear of what came after death hit him hard, nearly knocking him over with the force of it. The heartbeat grew a little stronger and more frequent, which only added to the rush of emotions that flooded him. He shot off, running towards the light – hoping beyond what was possible that it was salvation and life. Death was not in his plans anymore. There were so many things he wanted to still do, to say, to experience, to see through. He couldn't end it like this; he wasn't finished yet, not just yet. Hell be_ _damned_ _if he was going to end up there anyways, might as well make sure he did a good job and properly earned his place there. Life could not deny him the chance to see her again. Blair – that single word held all the reasons for why he wanted to live. He knew not his name but that didn't matter;_ _she, Blair Williams, did._

" _Blair!" he called out, his deep voice echoing around him like a gunshot. He was still running_ _pass_ _the memories he no longer cared to glance at, towards the light that promised him something different then this never changing dungeon of despair he was trapped in. If anyone would save him from this oppressive place, she would. Blair held his world_ _in the palm of her hand_ _and when she wished him_ _away, only then,_ _would he allow himself to succumb to this black nothingness. Even as he persisted forward he could still feel the pull to lull back into the obsidian prison. There was another force now tangible, one that called to him – to his very soul. Blair. She was calling him, he was sure of it._

_The light burst towards him, engulfing the infinity of night and swallowing him whole. There was no fear anymore, just acceptance and a strong belief that he had fought off death, another battle for another day. That idea didn't bother him at the moment, so long as Blair was there,_ _he'd_ _fight off dead as long and as many times as_ _he'd have to._ _Chain by chain and link by lin_ _k,_ _the person he knew himself as resurfaced from the depths of blackness and_ _emerged_ _into the world once more. The first sensation to come back was touch. He could feel cloth and… something warm?_

" _Marcus…." It took a while, but eventually he recognized his name._

" _Marcus… it's time to come back." Come back from what? He wondered._

" _Marcus, it's time to wake up." Huh?_

Sound returned gradually. Someone was breathing, feet were shuffling around, papers being flipped through, and a tapping thud was audible – that sounded like someone was impatient. A while later there were gentle murmurings going on around him that he couldn't quite make out. Frustration was what finally drove Marcus to try and open his eyes. It was difficult, his lids felt heavier than two cement blocks. When they did manage to peek open, everything was blurry and disorienting. He thought he was experiencing motion sickness with how everything spun around. Swirls of color danced about and there were bright lights that made him wince and close his eyes.

"Is there any way to tone down the lights?" a familiar female voice asked. _Kate?_

"Yes, hold on!" this time the voice was male. It couldn't have been Connor; the mood present within the pitch was too cheerful – bouncy.

Kate spoke again. "Marcus, can you open your eyes now?"

"Mmruff…" whatever that meant, it sounded good to him.

Kyle's voice suddenly appeared, "Why is he grumbling?"

"Hush!" That was unquestionably John Connor.

_What the hell is going on?_

With an effort he had never had to exert before to open his eyes, Marcus forced his lids up once more, the world churning still. It settled gradually and the brightness that had stung his eyes was now a dim golden glow around him. Shapes began to come into focus; his bed… and body tucked under white sheets. _Am I dead?_ Disorientation was all around Marcus, his mind still muddled from what he did not know.

The first thing beyond himself that caught his eye was far more captivating than he had ever remembered it to be… or more correctly, _she_ was. Blair Williams sat perched at the end of his bed, one leg pulled up to rest bent next to his feet while her other was slung over the side of the bed, her foot resting on the floor. There was a concerned look on her face that swiftly changed to a gentle smile once she realized he was lucid enough to see and recognize things and people.

 _Ah, hell. I'm alive._ Unless heaven really did exist and whoever or whatever ran the place took pity on him and brought forth Blair. Though Marcus swore moments ago he was fighting off death, his sentiments now changed with the queasy feeling in his stomach and light-headedness. He still felt somewhat disconnected from his body, but that idea was cast out when Marcus flexed a few of his fingers; his body was more than likely numb or his mind was still adjusting to the stimulus the waking world offered.

Blair leaned towards him ever so subtly. "Marcus, how are you feeling?"

_Like the idiot that was stupid enough to play chicken with a semi truck._

"Where am I? What happened?" he asked, effectively ignoring her inquiry altogether. His voice was scratchy from lack of use, his throat muscles tight and mouth dry. Water would have been nice, though he doubted it would do much for his vocal cords at the moment if he could have it. His earlier revelation that he couldn't eat and drink reminding him that water might actually only harm him if he were to swallow a glass.

A sigh came from somewhere else in the small room he was in. Marcus' eyes flicked towards the sound and saw a man with dark hair standing off to the side of the bed. At first Marcus couldn't put a name to the oval face but after a few moments of coming up short everything came back. The man was Xander Fox, a scientist and doctor for the Amazon Rainforest Resistance. He had been doing some _mandatory_ tests on him from the last of what Marcus could recall.

"You're in the medical wing of our underground base. You passed out after we took some tests and slipped into a rather deep coma – induced by PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)." The strange man said with an amused smile. _Weirdo._

"At least Marcus didn't ask who we are, or who he is." Kyle added with a smile. Blair ignored the youth and kept her alluring liquid honey eyes trained on him. Marcus noticed that her beautiful dark curls were rumpled more than usual and that her frame appeared to be slimmer than what he remembered. Dark circles were like bruises under her eyes, throwing off the usually beautiful olive toned complexion that he admired so much.

"How long was I out?"

She faltered, opening her mouth to reply then closing it again, second guessing herself. Was it that bad? It couldn't have been _that_ long. Kate took it upon herself to answer, excusing a flustered Blair from the question. "Somewhere around a week and a half."

 _It wasn't too much time then._ When he voiced that thought Blair looked like she'd object to that statement but once again held her tongue. Instead of arguing she fidgeted with her black leather jacket, adjusting it over her black v-neck shirt.

"When can I leave and return to my own room?" he asked.

Kate and Xander exchanged looks that made Marcus wonder what he missed while he was under. Blair glanced to the two medical professionals as well, what Marcus thought looked to be a hopeful expression flashed briefly across her face before it returned to a stoic mask once more. If they did let him return he would be with Blair, which was one of the main motives behind asking, though he felt ridiculous in this current situation and would rather not be viewed in such a vulnerable light.

Xander was the one that finally answered, "I think Kate will agree with me that you should stay here under a more trained eye for awhile longer, just to be safe."

"How long?" Blair's demanding voice had a rough edge to it.

Kate glanced to Xander before taking it upon herself to answer this time. "No more than a day or two. Besides, the test results we took will be coming back shortly and will give us a better idea on what to do."

"Something tells me you aren't referring only to the tests you took prior to my unconsciousness." Marcus finally spoke up again.

"No, you're right; we're not talking about only that body scan. There were other tests we did to see what type of treatments we could offer," Kate admitted with a sigh. Marcus felt Blair stiffen next to him at the end of the bed and watched as her spine went ramrod straight. Part of Blair's face was covered by dark curls but he caught the flicker of disgust and outrage that distorted her usually pretty features. She was angry, and Marcus could just sense the magma boiling over inside, getting ready to spew out as seething lava. _Mother bear is back_ , he mused to himself.

There was a tense three way glaring contest between Blair, John, and Kate. Blair had her eyes locked on the redhead as did Connor, who didn't look any more approving. Kate was taking turns, scowling back at the two with equal censure. Xander was in between the three and smiling his fool head off, clearly he was behind some of this as well. In fact, Xander reminded Marcus of the mad scientist from movies he watched as a small child, and wouldn't put it past him to take advantage of an opportunity when presented.

 _Do I even want to know?_ That was the question that had him in a stupor. It was very similar to the actions Kate did to save Connor back in California. There was a level of high ambiguity that surrounded what went on, and Marcus up until now hadn't been able to decide if he really wanted to know. Once again, was ignorance bliss? Would enlightenment do more damage than it was worth? It was his body, and he was human and should be treated as one! Marcus had the right to know what the heck they did to him just like anyone else, and there should have been consent papers he signed before they even laid a hand on him. Or were his rights all signed away when he donated his body to the medusa of the twenty-first century, Serena? It was post-apocalypse and Marcus was no longer in the continental U.S., his rights might very well be different. _I didn't realize how much I relied on them until they were gone._

"Can I talk to you for a moment Kate, privately?" Blair's voice shook Marcus out of his thoughts. Both females looked exasperated with the other, though he was getting the feeling that they were forgetting one very crucial thing. He was right there! _Geez, blackout for a week and everyone acts like you're dead and you don't care._

Marcus finally found enough irritation to voice his qualms. "You know, I am right here and fully capable of not only defending myself but also asking what the hell did you do to me?"

All eyes snapped to him and Marcus couldn't help but let one of his eyebrows arch up in a silent question. He could feel his unused facial muscles flexing again and it felt like he was given Botox injections to freeze his face in place. Not that he needed to look younger, but the thought was both disgusting and slightly amusing.

 _Wait… can I age?_ Now there was a mental wallop that had the potential to send him back into a vegetated mental state. His endoskeleton wasn't human so arthritis and weakening bones wouldn't be a problem; that much was obvious. Marcus knew his skin wasn't average; it healed at least twice as fast as everyone else's if not faster and would regenerate even when the wound sustained on anyone else would not. Would he get wrinkles and gray hair? Would Marcus see his height decline from gravity and his own weight depressing on the cartilage in his spine? _Hey stupid, you don't have a normal human spine, remember?_

There was more though that was now coming to the forefront of his mind. What about his memory and weight? Would he be able to gain or lose weight at all? And would he always have a perfect memory that was far more superior than he'd ever recall having before waking up as a hybrid? And why did any of this matter? Well that was one question he did have an answer for, and it was all summed up in one word; _Blair_. She would age; Blair was human where he was not – at least not in that sense. _Shit!_

"Marcus, are you okay?" Blair's soothing voice called out to him and Marcus desperately felt like that beautiful sound would never come again. Mortality was what would limit that enduring voice to only bless his ears for so long. Forget him dying, Blair should be the main concern, he could take much more abuse, she could break like a toothpick compared to him! His facial expression and reaction to the revelations must have been quite something because Kate and Xander were now hovering over him, talking rapidly about medical terms he could never hope to comprehend. Blair stayed close as well, her almond shaped eyes beseeching him to say or do something. Marcus was now aware that his body had frozen, stiffening to the point that his muscles felt like if they were any tighter they would either snap like a rubber band or spasm. Kate and Xander fussing over him wasn't helping and the intense look Connor and Blair pinned him with only served to accelerate his already racing heart.

Blair cajoled him, "What's wrong Marcus? Talk to me, say something please!"

 _Say what? That I had an epiphany that you're going to die some day and I probably won't?_ He could just tell that would go over so well. They'd all think he lost his marbles and put him under psychiatric evaluation, maybe even suicidal watch if they thought he was that depressed. _News flash Marcus, you're already there and they obviously already have and will continue to watch your mental health!_

Marcus watched as Blair grew more anxious and Kate more frantic with trying to find what was wrong with him. Xander finally stepped back and observed his countenance more thoroughly. The Asian silently looked Marcus over and finally seemed to come to a conclusion, the eureka moment was not hinted at in his face, but it burned in the hazel eyes that always seemed to see everything so clearly – despite the insane persona that Xander established. He pulled up a chair and sat down next to Marcus, tilting his head quizzically to one side like an innocent puppy might do. The comparison made Marcus snort aloud and he turned away to glance at Blair and Kate, both females had their eyebrows raised in surprise; Kate looking composed as always, Blair not so much.

"Mind enlightening us with the inside joke, Marcus?" Xander asked with an amused smile on his cheerful face.

"No, I was raised better than that. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all, right?" he shot back.

Xander chuckled, "I'm not sure if that line is still preached now, though your old school manners are charming."

 _Old school... manners? Thanks for reminding me of my age, jerk._ How old would he be considered? His body was technically both forty-six and thirty-one. He had been thirty-one at the time Cyberdyne took him into their fold, and still was on earth through his hibernation – his body just didn't stop existing, so he had been around for forty-six years, though his mind stopped progressing and his body obviously hadn't aged since that day, which was how he could still be considered thirty-one. How old was Blair? Would she mind his age confusion, or better yet, the difference? Marcus could feel the new revelation rock through him almost as shockingly as the last. _Well isn't today just full of insightfulness?_

"Based on that vacant look in your eye, I'm guessing you're having another moment of deep comprehension?" Xander guessed, breaking into Marcus' thoughts and dissolving them into reality.

Everyone was staring anxiously at him, waiting for what he did not know. If they thought he would spontaneously combust or pass out again, they were sorely mistaken. Marcus refused to lose any more time in a state of uselessness. He would sort through everything and hopefully in time be able to put one foot in front of the other without second guessing something about himself or the life he chose to lead. Time was the key. Marcus probably had unlimited time to do it, but Blair didn't have that much to wait for him. She was here and now, and wouldn't always be in his future, which was a painful thought that made his second – or was it his third? – life a cruel irony. _Maybe I'm like a cat; nine lives to live and once those are up I will finally rest for the last time._

"You could say I've had one of sorts."

Blair sat at attention, observing him quietly in the background. Marcus could feel the golden flames that were her eyes scorching through his unstoppable body and searing his soul with their penetrating ability. If she didn't stop soon Marcus was contemplating the possibility that she might physically harm him without ever lifting a finger, her intense gaze was enough to make him uncomfortable when he wasn't meeting the irises dead on. He could only imagine what it would feel like when he locked gazes with her. Instead, he opted to keep his own sights on Xander, Kate, or Connor. Their stares were severe as well but none of them held the awesome power over him the way Blair's did.

"Mind sharing your insights? With all the tests we did I wouldn't be surprised if we are given answers you just figured out or be able to answer questions you might have," Xander spoke, breaking the silence that had befallen the room once more.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, after managing to explain some of his internal musings and voicing his concerns and questions, Marcus finished filling in everyone on his personal hell of confusion and train wreck of insecurities. Of course he edited out the reasons for his concerns and questions, all of which came back to the same person, Blair. When he finished Marcus noted that even Kyle had stopped fidgeting. Star was now sitting on his lap – she had relocated during his speech and had comfortably perched herself on top of him – holding his human hand with childlike obliviousness to everything around them. If only he could be that carefree.

Blair was still sitting at the end of his bed, though she looked pale. He couldn't help but wonder if his acknowledgements to everything might scare her off. If it did, then the question was would it be better to chase after her or let her go? Could he do that? If she was happier without his complex existence, and wanted him to leave, then he would abide by her wishes and leave her in peace, though something deep inside Marcus wretched at the thought of not seeing Blair or being near her anymore. Living but not being able to enjoy her company would be his personal hell, though he seemed to already be in one with all the confusion and unanswered questions that surrounded him. _Can I not have just_ one _thing go my way for once?_

Xander had looked stumped as well and admitted to as much. "We really can't know anything for sure until the results come back; which will be within the hour, I assure you."

"In the mean time, I think it best that we leave Marcus alone. He's had enough commotion for now, and we all have jobs to get back to." Cathal spoke up for the first time since Marcus woke. The general nodded in the direction of Blair, his green eyes conveying something that Marcus couldn't read, but apparently Blair understood.

"I hear you were looking for me before Marcus woke up. Perhaps while we wait for the verdict it would be prudent to discuss whatever it is that is troubling you my dear." His Irish inflection of soft vowels and harder consonants had a calming effect over the madness that was obviously in everyone's mind. Blair stood, righting her black leather jacket and shirt before disappearing out the door with Cathal leading the way.

 _What did I miss while I was out stone cold, world peace?_ With his emotions and thoughts swirling around his head like a carnival ride Marcus was left more confused than ever about what was going on. What did Blair and Cathal possibly have to discuss that they couldn't say in front of everyone else? Something stabbed at him as he watched them depart. Marcus couldn't figure out what it was, but he knew the feeling was ugly, close to resentment but that word didn't seem to quite express the emotion right. He swore he tasted something bitter in his mouth when the door closed behind them, fanning the dull burning in the back of his mind to a smoldering flame.

The emotion that hit Marcus caught him off guard. He had felt it once or twice before when Blair was involved, but couldn't place the misguided feeling. Much like he couldn't place the feeling that he felt towards her directly. Marcus was ill-equipped when relationships to anyone other than friends or family were involved. Blair undoubtedly fell into that category he was ignorant about, and when Marcus was fully human back in 2003, he had not had a problem with that. Now, however, he was resenting his lack of experience as well as Cathal. _I'm just mad at the world now aren't I? God, I'm turning into John Connor! Heaven help me._

Kyle grabbed Star, who reluctantly released his good hand, and left with him, Kate following them out. Xander excused himself to see if his team of scientist back at the labs had Marcus' results, which left a dazed Marcus with a frazzled John Connor. The prophesized resistance leader looked just like Marcus felt; confused as hell. The men stared at each other, neither sure what to say to the other. Marcus' immovability won out and John took the seat Xander had left vacant, grumbling something about his back hurting.

"Does this mean you're going to fill me in on what's going on? Or am I going to have to guess like some kind of mind reader?" Marcus was pleased to hear his usual gruff voice coming back to what he had once known it as, the unusual scratchiness dissipating as time went on.

"Actually, I planned to ask how you were doing, but I suppose catching you up would be more prudent, then asking you how you feel afterwards." John replied curtly.

_John Connor being touchy feely? Well shit, maybe I am dead after all._

Connor did his best to explain how everyone was stationed. He made sure to note that his wife was working reduced hours and that Blair was back at her hobby, Cathal, sharing in her love for planes, had been generous enough to offer a spot she would enjoy under _his_ command. If Marcus felt putout before he felt irked to the point of throttling the other man now. _Great, he can actually connect with her on a professional level as well, just flipping great._ Screw how he felt when he originally passed out, Marcus felt five times as conflicted now. Connor was brief and finished the update, leaving Marcus to stew over everything. There was so much he had to sort through already, his brain was screaming in protest and it seemed one more thing was constantly being added to his mounting pile of confusion. It was best he take it one thing at a time, he decided. If Blair couldn't handle the fact that he came damaged and with heavy baggage then it wasn't worth it anyway Marcus decided; which left him where, exactly? _Screwed over six ways to Sunday, that's where._

* * *

"A circular hole in the ground with a diameter of roughly thirty yards, that's how the patrol described it at least." Blair confirmed the report, waiting as Cathal processed the information and gave orders on what to do next.

She had been reluctant to leave Marcus' side, but something of this magnitude had to be reported, and swiftly. Blair had also admitted that she had heard of something akin before and finally recalled a mission John Connor went on a week before she had met Marcus where there was a similar configuration that Connor went into, leading a ton of other resistance members only to be the only one to walk away alive. Cathal had soaked up that information with a somber face, obviously regretting how many lives were lost in such a blunder as that. Blair had also advised him to talk to John for more information on the strange bases; she hadn't been working that mission, but another project and only heard about it through the grapevine because of the disastrous outcome. This obviously served as a warning for the Amazon Rainforest Resistance; hopefully they would learn from the Californian Resistance's mistake and be more successful in whatever they did with this new report.

"Do you mind then if I consult with Xavier and John? I would also like to speak with the other head, though they are still not back from their last assignment." The last part was more of a mutter, leaving Blair to believe that she wasn't meant to hear it. This statement sparked her endless curiosity though. She had been wondering who the final general in charge was and she had wanted to meet them, but no one had mentioned him, which she found peculiar. Was there some taboo belief that one did not talk about the generals when away? Or was there another reason for why few chatted about the third head, but openly gossiped about Cathal and Xavier?

"Of course, and if you wouldn't mind I'd like to spend the rest of the day with Marcus. I already had my spot covered before I left and the attending Sergeant said they could afford to have two or three people leave early with so little activity and reports from patrols coming in." She was hopeful that this time would allow her to not only help Marcus through this cruel ordeal he was dealt but also to possibly get off her chest what she had been holding back for days, weeks even. And if he didn't listen? Well, Blair would not be denied and she'd make sure Marcus got it drilled in through his half human skull that there were future possibilities for them both.

"I don't see why not. Marcus might need someone he knows and trusts there when Xander and Kate come back with the news. I have a feeling that it will be a gread, whatever it is." The musical tune of Cathal's voice was genuinely concerned, which made Blair smile. There was hope yet that Marcus could find allies amongst their fellow resistance members. With Connor and Cathal on his side Marcus would plausibly be safe from any future attacks on his credibility and safe from what trouble the harsh scrutiny of others could bring.

Once Cathal properly dismissed Blair, she swiftly reentered Marcus' temporary room to find Connor sitting next to Marcus, both men clearly lost in their own thoughts. Connor was unreadable as ever; Marcus' face was just about as barren, though when his azure eyes flashed up to hers all the emotions reflected there made up for his blank face, before they flicked away. His eyes were stormy with confliction and Blair could see Marcus waging a million different wars inside him all at once. The internal struggle appeared to be the motive for why his jaw was tense and brow slightly furrowed. When Blair focused on his blue eyes once more – which she had missed while they had been closed to the world – the pupils were constricted dramatically, and she knew that meant hostility or anger without a doubt. _Great, pissed him off within a half an hour time span, new world record._

"John, Cathal wanted to see you." She informed the other man, ignoring Marcus's strife.

Connor uncrossed his arms and limped out – though he tried to hide the subtle weakness as much as possible. When the door closed the atmosphere changed, and she knew both Marcus and herself could feel it. John was no longer there to act as a diffuser and the pent up emotions on both sides seemed to crack in the air, an argument was tangible as a storm moments before the clouds burst. She waited in silence, neither one of them ready to initiate the inevitable. Marcus turned to face her but said nothing, which shouldn't come as a surprise, he didn't talk in the quantities Kyle did. If Blair wasn't imagining it she thought Marcus was dueling with what types of discrepancy to deal with first, the external or internal. And that maybe what was the cause for his pained expression and verbal communication – or lack thereof.

"How are you feeling? Xander said you might have some severe headaches when you wake up," Blair gave, knowing that one of them had to say something, and maybe they could avoid an all out verbal brawl if some civility was injected early on.

Marcus didn't respond at first. Instead he continued to stare at her, much in the same way he did when Blair had used her cunning duplicity to get rid of Barnes so she could attempt to save his life back in the Californian Resistance Base. He looked tired and worn though Marcus had been resting for over a week, his mind must have been under enormous strain for him to appear so ragged at that moment. The weary exterior began to fade and his body became for animated when it appeared Marcus finally managed to speak.

"Do you want the honest answer or a bullshit one that is easier to stomach?" There was that sarcastic tone again, but this time it wasn't so much brooding or playful but menacing. He may have been sitting on a bed looking like the world just ended twice over – which wasn't too far off the mark in a literal sense – but Marcus still appeared very intimidating when he so desired to. The hybrid sat up straight, his broad shoulders pulled back defiantly and muscles rippling with raw power. His eyes were blazing pools of ice that stared her down much like an untamed lion might do with its enemy. In many ways Marcus reminded Blair of the majestic animal; noble and prevailing, but acted distant. The bronze hair on his head much like the golden mane and the languid, inhumanly graceful way Marcus not only held himself but moved suggested something feral and alien resided just beneath the surface.

"I'd like the honest answer, please." Blair worked to keep annoyance out of her voice but some of the emotion crept in on the last word.

"I feel like crap and would rather go back to my previous state of oblivion." He hadn't been joking and Marcus just laid it out in front of her, watching her reaction with appraising eyes.

She shifted weight from her right foot to her left, feeling uncomfortable with how to word the answer she wanted to give. Blair really wanted to just pounce on him and admit everything then lose herself in his warm protective embrace but knew that plan would probably win her a severe rebuff. Marcus' darker moods were to be treated with caution and throwing herself at him would look like an attack from where he was sitting, it was better to keep her distance for now and slowly work her way towards him, defusing the tension in the process.

"I hope you don't go back. We all missed you, Marcus."

* * *

He wanted to argue with her and point out not too many people would miss a machine, but Marcus held his tongue. Instead he focused on counting to ten, which only served to irritate him more. Why they always suggested that method back in his time, Marcus never knew. How it was supposed to work seemed to have the reverse effects on him, particularly when he was already in a foul mood that wasn't improving in the near future. Marcus let out a long sigh, _out with the bad air and in with the good air._

When he opened his eyes to look at Blair once more it struck him that her body language didn't add up to her being deceitful. Her palms were upturned in a submissive gesture and her captivating eyes held nothing but honesty and… affection? His heart gave a not so subtle lurch and Marcus felt his face slip into a blank expression as he unclenched his fists that were tucked into his crossed arms. They stared at each other, both trying to read the other for signs of anything that could give away the motives behind the words. Another idea popped into his head, and this time it caused Marcus to blanch when he realized that he might have read too much into Blair and Cathal's relationship.

"Blair, I –"

" _I_ missed you!" she blurted out suddenly.

Marcus was left dumbstruck. He didn't know what to say and wasn't sure what he heard at first. The words echoed around his head for a good solid minute before comprehension of what they meant happened. It was another good minute before Marcus could even form a coherent thought after that. _She missed me? Am I supposed to take a hint or something? What does_ that _mean?_

"Umm… _okay_?" Why did it sound like a question?

Blair threw her arms up in exasperation, sighing nosily. "Rahhg! Marcus, for an intuitive guy, you're so dense!"

"Excuse –" he wasn't given a chance to finish, Blair stalked forward with unnerving conviction in each step and splayed her hands on either side of his face when she reached him. Her body leaned down to his and her soft lips were gently pressed against his. Marcus froze in place; he could feel his body tense up once more. His hands were raised halfway up, whether it was to stop her or pull Blair in closer he wasn't sure, they just levitated there while he tried to figure out what was happening. When she pulled away her warm minty breath fanned over his face, stunning him into silence as his jaw hung slacked.

"Marcus… I'm sorry, did I –" this time Marcus wouldn't let _her_ finish. He reached out to Blair, his arms wrapping around her ribcage as he jerked her down to straddle his lap as he crashed his lips to hers. While she had been soft and gentle Marcus was more forceful and demanding in his fervor to reciprocate the sentiments, not nearly as subtle as Blair's initiating ones. Her warm minty scent washed over him again and he gentled his motions, slowly moving his lips in sync with her. The moment was sweet and tender as they broke apart, their breaths labored and eyes searching the others with questions and finding every answer they silently asked, never having to disturb the earth-shaking silence.

Blair eased down to comfortably rest on his lap, her legs curled closer to her body as she rested her head on his chest, nuzzling into him with a smile on her face. Marcus wrapped his arms around her once more and rested his chin on her head, closing his eyes and silently thanking whoever was watching over him for the wondrously baffling gift that was Blair Williams.

* * *

**F/N:**

Gread: Roughly translates from Gaelic Irish to " _Wallop"_ or to be battered.


	13. Chapter 13

Marcus was slipping in and out of consciousness. With Blair in his arms and her warm lean body pressed up against his it was hard to stay lucid. Her siren scent wafting up from her long dark locks calmed his stormy mind and eased the stiff tension in his body. Even as he succumbed to numbness he was aware of the object of his affections nestled in his lap. Then, a little while later, it was disturbed by said body shifting.

"Marcus.…" Blair whispered against his chest.

Opening one eye he glanced down at her, "Mmm?"

"It has been over two hours."

A sigh of contentment fanned over the top of her head, snuggly positioned beneath his chin.

"Marcus….?" Blair prompted.

"And?" he responded expectantly.

Pushing herself away, properly leveling their eyes, she fixed him with a look of pursing lips and a furrowed brow.

"And Kate was supposed to be back with Xander over an hour ago to report on the new results."

A grunt escaped his lips as Marcus sat up a little more. Once repositioned and comfortable, he settled his eyes on Blair, arching a questioning eyebrow as to what she could possibly be hinting at.

"It's suspicious," she defended herself lamely.

Blinking, and then flicking his gaze to the only door in his small room thoughtfully, Marcus seemed to finally focus. It _was_ strange. He didn't know Kate that well yet, but something about the woman spoke of punctuality.

"It is," he admitted gruffly. "But there isn't a whole lot we can do about it."

Sometime later he woke to the door being opened and a stream of dazzling light briefly flashing across his face before the dim illumination of the room was undisturbed once more. Marcus struggled to wake up. His brain reared at the thought of having to be aware of everything again. When he had let his mind drift off he found a comforting lack of sensation in slumber, taking away the internal war that plagued him.

Groaning his distaste for his now conscious state he stretched – back arching and muscles tensing briefly – before he let his body fall lax once more. There was a jolly chuckle that caught his ear and Marcus' eyes lazily raised fractionally to see who dared to disturb him.

Xander stood off to the side of his bed, a thick stack of papers neatly held in his olive-toned hands. Kate was at his feet, her usual grim face in place. Whatever news the two came baring, Marcus was hedging his bets that it wasn't all sunshine and roses.

_Don't strain yourself Kate; you might have an animism if you actually smiled._

"You might want to get comfy Marcus, this could take a while." Her voice was flat.

_Nice to see you too, Kate._

Xander situated himself just so in the chair Connor previously occupied, while Marcus sat up more properly, propping some pillows up behind his back to do so.

Kate chose to remain standing, her shoulders were screwed up. The woman couldn't look more tense if she tried. He was guessing that Kate would have a migraine by the end of the day, if she didn't already have one. With her and Connor it was difficult to tell if the frown was from pain or if their faces were just permanently stuck in such expressions.

"That bad?" Marcus asked curiously.

Xander looked up from reviewing the papers in front of him, his face now sporting a pair of glasses that rested at the tip of his nose. Actually appearing mature and intelligent with them on, he would have fooled Marcus if not for the playful glint that refused to be snuffed from his dark gold eyes. He wore his signature smirk of amusement, the very one that gave Marcus the feeling that Xander knew much more than he ever let on.

"That depends, really," Xander's condescending tone chilling any good vibes left in the room.

"On?" Marcus prompted.

"Your definition of how bad ' _that bad' is_."

Marcus caught Kate rolling her blue eyes just before she sighed and garnered both of their attention. "Stop fooling around and get to it, Xander. We both have better things to do then listen to you play mind-games."

_Yeah, cause sitting in a room all day and counting the cracks in the ceiling is considered revolutionary work._

"Before we do, I thought you would have had your support group here. Where are Blair and Kyle?" Xander queried, ignoring a rather annoyed Kate.

Both doctors looked like they expected a good explanation. Why it was that everyone always thought he had the answers was beyond him. Marcus was one of the least informed people alive to date.

"Blair was here…" he trailed off. Marcus hadn't noticed the absence of the spunky resistance fighter due to Xander and his aggravatingly attention grabbing ways. "She must have slipped away when I was asleep."

"And Kyle?" Xander asked.

He shrugged, "I haven't seen Kyle since he took Star and bolted with everyone else."

"Charming friends, do you–"

"Marcus, we reviewed some of the results before we came here. Our hopes were to be able to explain and answer your questions more efficiently this way." Kate cut off Xander.

She didn't look like a bone in her body was apologetic for the interruption. Xander's mouth was still open as if he was entertaining the idea of returning the favor before eventually shutting it. Oh yes, these two were going to make a wonderful team; Marcus could just see it now. Kate was Dr. Jekyll to Xander's Mr. Hyde.

Kate continued, "When I originally looked at your body – you were unconscious by the way, so you wouldn't remember it – back in California I was only able to go so far. We didn't have the technology and facilities they have here. Our knowledge on you was limited and sketchy at best. Thanks to Xander and his labs, the x-rays and other various tests gave us a much clear picture."

Xander picked up from there. "The answer to your first question, before you slipped into a coma," an amused smile spread across his face. "You can't eat, like you initially thought."

Marcus didn't miss the ' _you_ ' part of the statement.

 _They thought I could eat?_ Why did that seem like such a crazy idea? _Maybe because I don't have a stomach!_

"What I mean is your body does need energy; the human part of you requires human things like sleep. However, food does not seem to be one of these necessities. From our test results it seems you can't process food. We also think that the part of your brain that helps regulate hunger motivation was one of the pieces removed, probably to make room for needed things. This might explain why you don't ever feel hungry."

Kate stepped in again, "Blair informed me that you already figured this part out, though I'm sure it won't hurt to confirm your theory. You do have unusual sleep patterns. What surprises me is just how accurately you were able to guess the trends. Based on our approximations you do need to sleep every other night to every third night, though you don't need a full eight hours of rest. Xander believes, Marcus that you need roughly six hours."

He absorbed their words as the two medical professionals fell silent to let everything sink in. Marcus caught how Kate worded her last statement and curiosity bubbled up inside of him. The redhead was withholding information. Her blue eyes held his in a level stare that was unquestionably searching his face for signs of any reaction. Xander was watching him too, though the Asian didn't look nearly as intense as Kate Connor.

"You have a different theory on how much I need to sleep?" Marcus finally asked.

Kate didn't blink nor move for a few moments, though her eyes shifted slightly as she thought over his question. "Yes. I think you don't need that much sleep. My calculations came out at three hours at the most, not six."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see, then." Marcus muttered cryptically to himself.

Xander grunted something unintelligible, garnering Marcus' attention once more.

"Onto the next question: Can you age and all the things that go with it?" He glanced down at the papers, shuffling through them. Finding the desired few he ordered the mess of white sheets in his hands once more and read through them briefly, as if double checking something that he might have read wrong.

"Everything we can conclude based on what we know about the rest of you; our speculation is you can't age. Like you said earlier, arthritis isn't possible for you and wrinkles aren't either. Your skin has been biomedically engineered so that it grows at an alarmingly fast rate. It is approximately three times more durable than normal human skin, and its life span is actually longer than ours. Because of how your skin and the rest of your living body parts work, it is both Kate's and my belief that you will never have cancer or tumors either.

"You're endoskeleton won't deteriorate and can grow parts of it back as well. In lame man's terms, Marcus, you're never going to see your strength begin to wane or your body lose or gain weight. We hypothesize you won't ever see a gray hair on your head either.

"We can also tell you that your eyes, ears, and nose are more powerful compared to human standards, though it is not by too much. You will not lose your senses to old age like the rest of us. No, it is our guess that you will not change physically one bit, no matter how long you live."

He didn't know what to say or to think. Marcus couldn't figure out if this was good news or bad news. Losing his looks – whatever amount that he had – wouldn't be a concern for him, and he'd never have to worry about dying because he was just too old to keep up.

A plus out of this was Marcus would always be able to not only defend himself, but Blair as well. It was a problem for the very same reason. She would age, everyone would. The idea of Blair as an old lady was amusing; he could picture her still just as energetic and vindictive as an elder as she was now.

_Her body will age, but I doubt she'll ever lose that spirit._

There was an irresistible, confusing, intoxicating pull towards Blair. Even images of her as an aged shriveled prune couldn't deter his… _emotions._ She was life itself, mysterious and unpredictable, yet beautiful and terrifying. Her age wouldn't matter, so long as she looked at him like _that_ , like she had been since he woke up. Or had she been ogling him that way longer and he was just being dense? No matter; if Blair accepted him, he'd take every day he could get from her – until her dying breath. But what would he do when she died? How long could he live if Skynet or the terminators didn't kill him first?

"How long do you estimate that I'll live? It can't be indefinitely. My system will have to wear out eventually." Marcus looked to Xander, then to Kate. The expressions on their faces shifted from polite patience to defensive and uncomfortable.

_It's not like I asked them for their death dates, geez._

"In all honesty," Kate said truthfully, "we think you could live for hundreds of years. You're built well and if Skynet doesn't off you, you could live to see the end of this war and maybe even see the world rebuilt then destroyed again several times over."

_I don't want to live that long! What am I supposed to do when you're all dead? Play chess with myself?_

Marcus felt panic thrill through his body, his heart tightening painfully inside his hybrid chest. He already lost one world and everything and one that was dear to him. Would fate be so cruel that he'd have to live the same punishment over and over again? Was this what hell really was? Being forced to say goodbye no sooner then he made roots.

Maybe Serna really was the devil. Perhaps the moment his lips touched her dead ones he was cursed to live for forever.

_I never should have agreed to that hag's offer._

"Marcus, I'm sorry–" Blair entered the room just then. She shut her mouth when her honey eyes registered Kate Connor and Xander Fox in the room, both of them looking as grim as death itself. _How fitting a description._

"We're just reading off the report. I'm sure Marcus will catch you up once we've finished the rest of it." Xander offered dismissively.

"Oh…?" her sweet voice sounding mildly interested.

Blair dropped a brown paper bag on the table next to his bed before settling down in another chair that was poised between Xander and Marcus. Something told him that Blair had purposely made herself the barrier between him and the questionably mad scientist. If he didn`t know better, Blair's protective instincts were showing, reminding him of what a mother bear would do for her cub that was being threatened by a stranger.

"Were there any other questions you had Marcus?" Kate asked.

She looked tired, worn. He bet Kate would be sleeping the rest of the day away when her head hit the pillow. Blair was not the only one with dark circles under her eyes and a ragged appearance. Though Kate couldn't possibly have lost weight while he was out, if anything she had gain two or three more pounds. The sleek ginger hair Marcus remembered her having upon their first meeting was a shadow of its former self; scruffy and pulled back in a messy, high pony-tail.

He had once heard that pregnant woman were supposed to glow. Or was that after birthing the child? Either way Kate Connor didn't glow, in fact she seemed to suck up all that was good and turn it into something grimy and dark.

Marcus replied in his usual gruff way, "No."

"I do," Blair's guarded voice spoke up. She glanced back at him before rounding on Kate and Xander, fixing them with twin golden flames of contempt. "What about Marcus' heart… and brain?"

"What about them?" Xander suddenly became defensive, crossing his legs and flipping his upturned palms down so that his hands gripped the end of each arm rest. Marcus felt a sense of unease come over him and wondered what he could possibly have to hide. Was there something wrong or complicated about his two organs?

_She asked about my body, not about your hidden agenda._

"Well… they're like ours aren't they? They can't take as much damage as the rest of Marcus. Don't they also age normally too?"

Marcus felt his own interest spark as his eyes riveted onto the back of Blair. What was it to her? Was there some relevance to these questions that he didn't grasp, a double meaning perhaps?

He scrutinized her, but Blair's body posture was relaxed, though her shoulders were tugged forward from her crossed arms. It was the most inappropriate time, but Marcus found himself eying her slight figure, yearning to reach out and touch her. Longing to stroke her soft dark curls.

_Hey, focus! You're not a hormone driven teenager._

Both pairs of blue and brown eyes flicked towards the door. Marcus was intrigued as to what could possibly be so uncomfortable about the topic that both doctors would instantly glance towards the escape route. If he thought about it, they seemed like timid mice retreating from the hungry cat now cornering them.

"Not all the test came out… conclusive," Kate vaguely replied. "We don't know what to think about all his internal organs just yet."

Blair narrowed her eyes. It was like she was silently calling out the bluff she thought Kate just made.

"Now if you'll excuse us; I have other rounds to make and I do believe Kate is well past her shift time restraints." Xander coolly dismissed the conversation.

Marcus blinked in bewilderment with Blair as the two medical experts practically scrambled over top of the other to get out of his room as soon as humanly possible.

_What the hell just happened?_

* * *

For the next three days Marcus had been forced to remain the infirmary. If it wasn't Blair or Kyle constantly entertaining him when they were off duty, it was Star diligently keeping him company. Blair had even caught Connor paying a visit to Marcus after he woke, once. The only person that didn't seem to care was Barnes – still holding a grudge against the hybrid apparently.

Kate had promised that Marcus be released on the third day, if he showed no signs of stress or mental relapse. Ecstatic by the news, Blair had been in a bubble ever since. Regardless of the strange behavior on Kate Connor and Xander's part, nothing seemed to be able to burst her joy. Her hours at work flew by, and her dreams seemed to ease in their depressing outcomes, though sleep still didn't come easy.

Frequent meetings were being held between Cathal, Connor, and Xavier. None of them were saying anything, and the only other person that seemed to know about the strangely familiar report was her. Unsettling as that was, Blair was more concerned with what that meant rather than why they chose to not disclose anything.

But today was not the day to worry. Marcus had just been given clearance to leave, and was currently following a step behind her as they walked back towards their shared room.

He had been silent since they left the infirmity. Blair chalked it up to Marcus being bombarded with everything at once, just trying to mentally catch up. So their trip was quite besides their boots scuffing across the cement floor and their staggered breathing.

"You're lucky I got the day off," Blair said conversationally as they entered into their two bed living arrangements. "That way I can give you the tour and catch you up to speed instead of some mindless drone they have from here."

Marcus did not vocally acknowledge her, but she caught a subtle nod of his head out of the corner of her eye. With what she thought was reluctance the man walked over to the bed he had previously used, stared at it, then turned to her with a questioning look and cocked copper eyebrow.

_Damn. I forgot to make the bed._

"Was someone else sharing the room with you?" His gruff voice held a hard edge to it, some emotion Blair couldn't quite comprehend glinted in his now frosty gaze that was locked on her.

_Well shit. He went from brooding and pensive to accusatory and pissed in under five seconds._

"Actually…." Blair crossed her arms defensively, feeling a blush coming on as she diverted her attention to the other single bunk, suddenly finding it very interesting. "I kind of switched from using my bed to your bed."

The awkward stillness that followed that validation of there not being someone else was deafening. Chancing a glance to see her companion's reaction, Blair was surprised when she did not find an angry or disgruntled Marcus, but a baffled one.

He had a hand running through his ruffled brown hair, eyebrows raised. The chips of ice that had been his narrowed eyes were now wide and searching for an answer, attempting to lift the truth straight from her head, no doubt.

" _Why?_ " Marcus made it sound more like he was asking, ' _Are you sane?_ '

_Yeah, question my mentality when you're the one that just went into a coma from PTS._

She shrugged noncommittally. "Cause I liked that side of the room better."

There was no way in hell she'd own up to the real reason. His bed, despite Marcus only sleeping in it once, had kept his raw masculine scent. When Blair had discovered this a few nights ago, she had burrowed into his bed, finding she slept much better when it felt like he was near.

"You – like – this side of the room – better?" He echoed haltingly.

Narrowing her eyes, "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No. But apparently you do."

Huffing, she rolled her eyes before stalking over to _her_ bed, quickly making it and ignoring the bemused expression Marcus was making.

"Come on, let's go find something for me to eat before I give you the tour," she grumbled, once she was finished with her hasty bed-making.

"Yeah, before you bite someone's head off – viably mine."


End file.
